Isolation and characterization of marine bacteria capable of utilizing phthalate

Eleven phthalate-degrading bacterial strains were isolated from seawater collected off the coast of Japan. The isolates were found to be most closely related to the marine bacterial genera Alteromonas, Citreicella, Marinomonas, Marinovum, Pelagibaca, Rhodovulum, Sulfitobacter, Thalassobius, Thalassococcus, Thalassospira, and Tropicibacter. For the first time, members of these genera were shown to be capable of growth on phthalate. The plate assay for visual detection of phthalate dioxygenase activity and PCR detection of a possible gene encoding 4,5-dihydroxyphthalate decarboxylase indicated that phthalate is degraded via 4,5-dihydroxyphthalate to protocatechuate in all the isolates.