Isolation and characterization of thermophilic bacteria as producers of enzymes from Hammam Righa hot spring

Extreme environment have been an interesting object for microbiological research to study the diversity of extremophilic microorganisms. The ability to grow in extreme conditions makes the microorganisms unique. Thermophilic bacteria are bacteria that can grow at temperatures of 45-60°C. These organisms, each containing a catalog of enzymes and other bioproducts, could provide a highly valuable resource for biotechnological developments and applications. Biodiversity in geothermal springs in Algeria appears scanty and has not been thoroughly investigated. Geothermal springs are scattered in several areas in Algeria. The present study was conducted to isolate, identify, characterize and to determine the enzymatic activities of the thermophilic aerobic bacteria isolated from Hammam Righa Hot Spring. A total of 40 thermophilic bacterial strains were isolated from this Hammam. The optimum temperature of isolates was 60°C. Totally 14 bacterial strains were selected for this study. The phenotypic characterization (morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests) of those isolates was confirmed by genotypic method using 16S rRNA sequence analysis. 16S rDNA gene analysis found them related to Bacillus, Anoxybacillus, Geobacillus, Tepidimonas and Hydrogenophilus genera. Positive results on several enzymes such as amylase, caseinase, cellulase, chitinases and xylanase of most isolates are indication of potential applications of these bacterial products in biotechnology.