Quantitative detection of the oil-degrading bacterium Acinetobacter sp. strain MUB1 by hybridization probe based real-time PCR

Quantitative detection of the oil-degrading bacterium Acinetobacter sp. strain MUB1 was performed using the SoilMaster^™ DNA Extraction Kit (Epicentre, Madison, Wisconsin) and hybridization probe based real-time PCR. The detection target was the alkane hydroxylase gene (alkM). Standard curve construction showed a linear relation between log values of cell concentrations and real-time PCR threshold cycles over five orders of magnitude between 5.4±3.0×10⁶ and 5.4±3.0×10² CFU ml⁻¹ cell suspension. The detection limit was about 540 CFU ml⁻¹, which was ten times more sensitive than conventional PCR. The quantification of Acinetobacter sp. strain MUB1 cells in soil samples resulted in 46.67%, 82.41%, and 87.59% DNA recovery with a detection limit of 5.4±3.0×10⁴ CFU g⁻¹ dry soil. In this study, a method was developed for the specific, sensitive, and rapid quantification of the Acinetobacter sp. strain MUB1 in soil samples.