An Investigation on thermophilic bacteria from geothermal waters of Aydın province

SUMMARY In this study, thermophilic bacteria found in Bozkoy/AlangûHü thermal spring were isolated. At the result of enrichment in Thermus medium, five isolates, which are different in terms of colony morphology and Gram staining features, were obtained. Identifications were made by searching cultural, morphological, biochemical and physiological features of isolates. The isolates are obligate thermophilic bacilli which are endospore forming, aerobic, staining gram negatively, gram variable or gram negatively. In terms of their physiological features, all the isolates grow optimally under conditions at 65 °C, pH 6 and % 0.5-1 NaCl concentrations. Data from several tests were compared with appropriate literatures and taxonomical status of the isolates were determined according to criteria of Bergey's Systematic Bacteriology. Consequently, three isolates were identified as Bacillus stearothermophilns while two isolates that could not identified to species level were decided as Bacillus sp.