Hydrolytic and Inhibitory Activity of Two Closely Related Bacillus Isolates

Two Bacillus strains with different colony morphology were isolated from the soil. Phylogeny and 16S rRNA analysis reveals they both belong to the Bacillus subtilis group with both strains showing close relatedness to B. subtilis strain 168 and other related strains. These two isolates were examined for cellulase, amylase and lipase activity. Hydrolytic activity was measured via relative enzyme activity. Both strains showed promising results with substrate utilization and Bacillus sp strain SI3 displayed a better amylolytic, cellulolytic and lipolytic activity. Proteolytic ability was also assessed using skimmed milk agar and gelatin. Furthermore, the culture extracts of both isolates were examined for antimicrobial activity. This work demonstrates that these strains could have potential application in the industrial production of these economically important enzymes and other bioactive compounds.