Degradation of Ferric Chelate of Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid by Bacterium Isolated from Deep-Sea Stalked Barnacle

Twenty strains of marine bacteria that degrade ferric chelate of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Fe-EDTA) were isolated from among 117 strains collected from a marine environment. Among them strain 02-N-2, which was isolated from stalked barnacle collected from the deep sea in the Indian Ocean, had the highest Fe-EDTA degradation ability and was selected for further study. The strain showed high Fe-EDTA degradation ability at different seawater concentrations. In addition, the intact cells of this strain had the ability to degrade such metal-EDTAs as Ca, Cu, and Mg. The strain was an aerobic, gram-variable, rod-shaped organism. The results of various taxonomic studies revealed that the strain had significant similarity to Bacillus jeotgali JCM 10885^T, which was isolated from a Korean traditional fermented seafood, Jeotgal.