Isolation of pyridine degrading bacteria from soils contaminated with petrochemical industry effluents in purba medinipur

Pyridine and its derivatives are of major concern as environmental pollutants due to their toxic nature. Bioremediation is considered to be an alternative process to clean up the environment polluted with heterocyclic pollutants including pyridine and its derivatives. Our primeval objectives were first to isolate the pyridine degrading bacteria from the petrochemical industry effluent enriched soil sample collected from effluent discharge site in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal and further to explore morphological, biochemical, molecular characteristics and the optimum conditions under which these strains can most efficiently breakdown pyridine. In this study, one new bacterial strain, Shewanella algae (designated as MM) capable of utilizing pyridine as a sole carbon source was isolated from the contaminated site and we have explored different research approaches alongwith 16S rDNA gene analysis method for unveiling this intended purpose. Furthermore, it can be used effectively for the treatment of pyridine bearing wastewater and as a possible inoculum in a biofilter treating pyridine-laden gas