Biodegradation of endosulfan isomers and its metabolite endosulfate by two biosurfactant producing bacterial strains of Bordetella petrii.

The main objective of the investigation was to study the biodegradation of endosulfan isomers and its major metabolite endosulfate by two biosurfactant producing bacterial strains of Bordetella petrii. The significance of the study is to evaluate the capability of biosurfactant producing bacterial strains in enhancing the bioavailability of endosulfan. Sixty bacterial strains were isolated from the endosulfan degrading bacterial consortium and were screened for endosulfan degradation and biosurfactant production. Among those, two strains Bordetella petrii I GV 34 (Gene bank Accession No KJ02262) and Bordetella petrii II GV 36 (Gene bank Accession No KJ022625) were capable of degrading endosulfan with simultaneous biosurfactant production. Bordetella petrii I degraded 89% of α and 84% of β isomers of endosulfan whereas Bordetella petrii II degraded 82% of both the isomers. Both the strains were able to reduce the surface tension up to 19.6% and 21.4% with a minimum observed surface tension of 45 Dynes/cm and 44 Dynes/cm, respectively. The study revealed that the strains have the potential to enhance the degradation endosulfan residues in contaminated sites and water by biosurfactant production.