Isolation of Thermophilic Bacteria from Extreme Environments in Northern Chile
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2024
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The northern region of Chile boasts unique geographical features that support the emergence
of geothermal effluents, salt lagoons, and coastal creeks. These extreme climate conditions
create polyextreme habitats for microorganisms, particularly adapted to survive these harsh environments.
These extremophilic microorganisms hold immense potential as a source of hydrolytic
enzymes, among other biotechnological applications. In this study, we isolated 15 strains of aerobic
thermophilic bacteria (45–70 ◦C) from sediment samples collected at five different ecological sites,
including hot springs, geothermal fields, and lagoons in the Atacama Desert and Andes high planes.
Analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the isolates showed a close genetic similarity (98–100%)
with microorganisms of the genera Parageobacillus, Geobacillus, Anoxybacillus, and Aeribacillus. Notably,
these thermophiles exhibited significant hydrolytic enzyme activity, particularly amylases, lipases,
and proteases. These findings underscore the potential of using these thermophilic bacterial strains
as an invaluable source of thermozymes with wide-ranging applications in diverse industries, such
as detergent formulations, pharmaceutical processing, and food technology. This research highlights
the ecological significance of these extreme environments in the Atacama Desert and Andes high
plains, which serve as vital ecological niches housing extremophilic bacteria as a genetic source of
relevant thermozymes, promising great potential for innovation in the biotechnology industry.