A total of 218 halophilic bacterial isolates were obtained from Lake Razazah, west of Karbala, Iraq. Optimum pH and temperature were 7.5 and 37 °C, respectively. According to optimal growth at different salt concentration, the slightly halophilic bacteria were the most abundant isolates with the frequency of 68%. The isolated bacteria were screened for the production of extracellular amylase, alkaline amylase, protease, alkaline protease, lipase, alkaline lipase, pectinase and cellulase. The production of pectinase (55.8%), amylase (52.6%) and lipase (50.0%) were observed in almost half of the halophilic bacteria. Alkaline amylase and alkaline lipase production were reported in less than one third (30%) of isolates. Phylogenetic analysis16S rRNA sequences indicated that all isolates were members of eight genera of the domain Bacteria, including Bacillus, Halobacillus, Virgibacillus, Oceanobacillus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Idiomarina and Halomonas. The predominant commercial enzymes producers in current study were Halobacillus sp. K51 and Halomonas sp. K46 with the ability to produce 7 out of 8 exoenzymes. The presented data shows that despite drought, dehydration, increased concentrations of salt and contaminants, Lake Razazah represents an untapped source of halophilic bacteria biodiversity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.