Bacterial Diversity in South Africa Thermal Springs: a Metagenomic Analysis

Abstract

Hot springs provide a rich source of thermophilic microorganisms which can be tapped for different biotechnological purposes such as novel thermophillic microorganisms and enzymes for different industries and applications. Thermal communities are often complex to describe through traditional culture methods. Total environmental genomic studies (metagenomics) allows for rapid characterisation of the microbial diversity. The bacterial diversity in some South African thermal springs was determined using 454 sequencing of the v1-3 and v4-7 variable regions of the 16S rRNA. A huge bacteria diversity dominated by the genera Stenotrophomonas, Hydrogenophaga, Flectobacillus, Rheinheimera, Pseudomonas, Zavarzinella, Aquaspirillum and Limnobacter, was detected for the hotsprings. The diversity distinctions could be related to the differences in the thermal spring physicochemical properties. This study shaded insights for the first time into the diversity of bacterial in some South African hotsprings.