ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIAL DIVERSITY FROM CARDIAC GLYCOSIDES RICH INTESTINE OF THE Poekilocerus pictus (FABRICIUS, 1775)

A.S. KHARAT¹, K.R. KHARAT²*
¹Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Sub Campus, Osmanabad - 413 501, MS, India.
²Centre for Advanced Life Sciences, Deogiri College, Aurangabad - 431 001, MS, India.
* Corresponding Author : krkharat@gmail.com

Received : 14-08-2015     Accepted : 01-10-2015     Published : 05-10-2015
Volume : 7     Issue : 4       Pages : 664 - 670
Int J Microbiol Res 7.4 (2015):664-670

Keywords : Poekilocerus pictus, Calotropis sp., Intestinal microflora, cardiac glycosides
Academic Editor : Amit V Yadav, Claudio Farina, M Azzazi, Sherifa Mostafa M. Sabra, Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav, Abdel Raheem M. A., Birehanemeskel Tegene, Melese Abate Reta, Suneel Bhooshan, Vanda Sargautiene, Reshma Turbekar, P. Raja Rao, Marco De Andrea
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : K.R.K. would like to thank Science and Engineering Research Board, GOVT. OF INDIA for financial support under the project No.SR/FT/LS-11/2011.

Poekilocerus pictus is a voracious feeder of Calotropis procera and Calotropis gigantia, sequestering the cardiac glycosides in the body tissues. In search of relationship between the insect’s intestinal microorganisms and cardiac glycosides, microorganisms from the intestines of P. pictus were isolated, cultured at different pH, and biochemically characterized. Bacterial species identified on the basis of morphological, cultural, biochemical tests and 16S rDNA sequence analysis were Pseudomonas sp, Pseudomonas aurogenosa, Lysinibacillus sphaericus, Bacillus cereus, and Enterococcus sp. These bacterial isolates, grown in the presence of the cardiac glycosides at different pH, would be promising candidates in pursuit of understanding the relationship with reference to species specificity. Association of bacteria within the intestine allowing insect to withstand concentration of cardiac glycosides, which are taken up by the insect from host plant C. procera or C. gigantia during feeding habit is discussed.