Sequence Similarity based Identification of Nitrifying Bacteria in Coastal Aquaculture for Bioremediation predictability

Chemolithoautotrophic nitrifying bacteria are an essential functional group for detoxification of toxic ammonia into less toxic nitrate. In the first step of nitrification, an autotrophic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) oxidize ammonia to nitrite through the intermediate hydroxylamine. In the present study, ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) gene is chosen to detect nitrifiers in different environmental samples collected from various coastal aquaculture systems in Tamilnadu and also commercially available bioaugmentors. The amoA was detected in most of the environmental samples and bioaugmentors. The amoA gene isolated from coastal soil has been sequenced. Sequence alignment revealed homology with that of amoA of uncultured beta-proteobacteria, Nitrosomonas nitrosa and other Nitrosomonas sp. available in the GenBank. The present study has a potential for making bioremediation strategies for ammonia removal from brackishwater aquaculture systems.