Clinical Microbiology: Open Access

Revival and characterization of endospore forming bacteria from an ancient sediment core obtained from the Mfabeni Peatland, South Africa

3^rd Global Microbiologists Annual Meeting

August 15-17, 2016 Portland, Oregon, USA

Selisha Naidoo and Hunter C H

University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Clin Microbiol

Abstract:

Aerobic endospore forming bacteria may be considered to be potentially useful indicators of climate and/or environmental changes. Endospore formation allows certain bacteria the advantage of surviving unfavorable conditions as well as the ability to remain dormant for extended periods of time. The Mfabeni Peatland in KwaZulu-Natal is regarded as one of the oldest active peatlands in South Africa, dating back at least 44000 years. A study was undertaken with the aim of reviving dormant endospores from sections of an ancient sediment core that had been radiocarbon dated to ages ranging from 514 to 33500 cal years BP. Sediment samples were heated at 80 oC for 15 min and then subjected to a sequential extraction protocol prior to dilution series plating onto selected media. The bacterial diversity amongst the revived endospore formers was then assessed using Rep-PCR coupled with high resolution melt analysis (HRMA). Several primer sets targeting the spo0A gene and the hyper variable V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene were evaluated for HRMA. Taxonomic ranking and phylogeny of representative genotypes was assessed through sequence analysis of amplified partial 16S rRNA gene fragments. A total of 2204 colonies were revived, including 10 isolates cultured from a 33500 year old sample. Results of this study indicate the variations in bacterial diversity which spans timeframes across varying environmental conditions. For continuing future studies, community level physiological profiling of selected isolates will be undertaken in order to look for possible markers of environmental change.

Biography :

Email: naidooselisha@ymail.com