CELLULOLYTIC ACTIVITY AND DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM THE WHOLE BODY OF (Macrotermes michaelseni) FROM NANDI AND VIHIGA COUNTY

Abstract

The accumulation of plant waste in the environment has increased recently since plants are not easily degraded. Consequently, there is a rising demand for efficient cellulolytic bacteria that can break done cellulose efficiently thus increasing the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, and product recovery. Termites are known have their ability of degrading plants with the help of cellulolytic bacteria in them. This project analyses the diversity of cellulolytic bacteria in termites (Macrotermes michaelseni) collected from different locations. Therefore, three Macrotermes spp termites were collected from Vihiga County and compared with three distinct termite hills in Nandi County. The cellulolytic bacteria were distinguished from non-cellulolytic bacteria using carboxymethyl cellulose media. Isolates containing cellulolytic bacteria were identified by amplifying the 16S rRNA gene and sequencing. The results showed that 17 isolates possessed cellulolytic activity based on formation of clear zone around their colony. The cellulolytic index values ranged from 1.50 to 5.80. The cellulolytic bacteria were identified as Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Arthrobacter defluvii, Klebsiella oxytoca, Citrobacter freundii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus thuringiensis, Serratia marcescens, Paenibacillus polymyxa, Bacillus cereus, Dietzia natronolimnae, and Exiguobacterium aurantiacum strain VMG12. Among all isolated strains, Paenibacillus polymyxa showed the highest cellulolytic activity of 5.8. Therefore, bacteria from this study’s findings, could be potential candidates for the degradation of cellulose, and hence could be employed to convert cellulose into valuable bio-products.