Isolation and Identification of Plasmids of Bacteria from Petroleum Products Contaminated Soil

Abstract

Isolation and Identification of Plasmids of Bacteria from Petroleum Products Contaminated Soil was carried out. Hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria were isolated from petroleum-products contaminated soil from the tank farm of NNPC/PPMC Depot in Benin City, Nigeria. Plasmid analysis of bacteria was carried out showing the presence of plasmids in seven isolates: Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus species, Arthorbacter species, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Klebsiella aerogenes, Alcaligenes species, and Pseudomonas species. All the plasmids corresponds to 23kbp of the maker. The result of the DNA extracted and amplified in a PCR using the ndoB primers indicated no visible bands, showing that ndoB primers is not specific for bacteria isolates in the samples, hence there was no amplification. The none specification of ndoB gene of isolates does not imply the absence of plasmids DNA that confers utilizing ability to it, but that the utilizing gene could possibly be borne on the chromosomal DNA which enabled its persistence in the contaminated soil or other genes which were tested such as catechol 2,3 dioxygenase (C23DO) and monoxygenase could be present.