Isolation of Bacillus sp. as a Volatile sulfur-degrading bacterium and its application to reduce the fecal odor of pig

Abstract

Fecal malodor is an acute environmental issue to be solved for the intensive animal agriculture in Japan. Among these substances volatile sulfur such as hydrogen sulfide (HS), methanethiol, and dimethyl sulfide, and dimethyl disulfide are the ones most strictly controlled in the Japanese national regulations. In this experiment, we have screened a range of standard strains of chemoheterotrophic bacteria and of the presently isolated soil bacteria for their capacity to decompose HS. We have demonstrated that Comamonas testosteroni JCM5832T and our isolate Bacillus sp. had a potential to reduce malodor when applied to the pig feces.