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Title: Presence of Nitrogen Fixing Klebsiella pneumoniae in the gut of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Coptotermes formosanus)

Author
item DOOLITTLE, MARK - NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY
item Raina, Ashok
item Lax, Alan
item BOOPATHY, RAJ - NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Bioresource Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/3/2007
Publication Date: 5/20/2008
Citation: Doolittle, M., Raina, A.K., Lax, A.R., Boopathy, R. 2008. Presence of Nitrogen Fixing Klebsiella pneumoniae in the gut of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Coptotermes formosanus). Bioresource Technology 99:3297-3300.

Interpretive Summary: A bacterium, Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from the hindgut of the Formosan subterranean termite (FST). Various biochemical tests were performed to identify the isolate. The role of the isolate is likely to fix atmospheric nitrogen to supplement the nitrogen poor diet of the termite.

Technical Abstract: A gram-negative facultative anaerobic enteric bacterium, Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from the hindgut of the Formosan subterranean termite (FST). It was characterized using, Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis, BIOLOG assay, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and biochemical studies. The role of this isolate seems to be nitrogen fixation because the termite's diet is nitrogen deficient and the isolate produced significant amounts of ammonia when it was grown on nitrogen deficient medium under anaerobic condition with nitrogen gas in the headspace.