Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Termite GUT Microflora

Abstract

As termite is a social insect, its colony consists of three castes. i.e. reproductive, worker & soldier castes. In their role of cellulose digestion, the worker termite uses two sources of cellulolytic enzyme that include cellulases produced by the termite and the gut symbionts. Odontotermes obesus classified in mound builder termite, mostly depend on cellulolytic bacteria for cellulose digestion. This study aims to characterize cellulolytic bacteria of termite gut symbionts of worker Odontotermes obesus and to identify cellulolytic bacteria based on sequences of 16S ribosomal RNA(rRNA) gene. Cellulolytic bacteria of termite gut were isolated and cultured in CMC media. Gram’s staining and biochemical characteristics were analysed. The two bacterial isolates were selected from Odontotermes obesus with aerobic conditions for the analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences. BLAST-N result of 16S rRNA gene sequences of white and yellow colony isolates showed that the isolate has highest similarity with Trabulsiella odontotermitis and Chryseobacterium ureilyticum, respectively.