Crude Oil Degradation Potential of Indigenous Hydrocarbonoclastic Bacterial Strain Acinetobacter johnsonii Firstly Isolated from Marine Sediments of Oran Port, Algeria

Petroleum contaminants caused great damages to environment and human health. Among, the port of Oran is subject of pollution mainly by PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) as a result of the large flow of ships. Thus bioremediation by indigenous microorganisms is an important means for their reduction and elimination. In the present work, a hydrocarbonoclastic bacterium strain SP49F2 was considered, firstly isolated from the contaminated marine sediments and seawater at the port of Oran (Algeria), using Bushnell-Hass mineral salt medium, and identified on the basis of morphological and biochemical characteristics and molecular tools by analysis of partial 16S rRNA gene sequence, using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool program on the data base of NCBI (National Centre for Biotechnology Information), and the EzBioCloud 16S rRNA database. Kinetic of growth of this isolate on crude oil during 20 days of culture was studied at temperature 25 °C, 3% (w/v) of NaCl concentration and pH 7, at 140 rpm (Revolutions Per Minute). Strain SP49F2 was identified molecularly as Acinetobacter johnsonii, and might support high concentrations of crude oil (up to 10%, v/v). Results of growth kinetic on crude oil as sole energy and carbon source by the isolate strain showed that the stationary phase was attained at day 12. Thus, train Acinetobacter johnsonii SP49F2 could efficiently utilize crude oil as its sole carbon and energy source, and could be used as a wonderful native biological alternative for the bioremediation of the port of Oran, and marine area polluted by petroleum hydrocarbons, as an eco-friendly efficacy degrader, and may be suitable for biotechnological applications.