Probiotics represent beneficial living microorganisms that confer physiological, nutritional, and functional advantages to human health, holding significant potential for development of functional foods. This research aimed to isolate, identify, and characterize potential probiotic bacterial strains sourced from fermented and non-fermented foods from Pakistan. A total of 341 bacterial strains were isolated from diverse food samples (81) collected from various regions of Pakistan. Strains were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The identified strains belonged to genera Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Microbacterium, Shigella, Micrococcus, Enterococcus, Sporosarcina, Paenibacillus, Limosilactobacillus, Kosakonia, Dietzia, Leclercia, Lacticaseibacillus, Levilactobacillus, Kluyvera, Providencia, Enterobacter, Neisseria, Streptococcus, Acinetobacter, Corynebacterium, Pantoea, Mammaliicoccus, Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, and Alkalihalobacillus. Selected strains were chosen for probiotic assessment, employing existing literature as a guideline. Among these selections, six strains exhibited hemolytic activity, and seven strains displayed resistance to multiple antibiotics, prompting their exclusion from subsequent evaluations. The remaining strains demonstrated auto-aggregation capacities spanning 3.39–79.7

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic (COVID-19) has put millions of people at risk in an increasing number of countries, suggesting a serious threat to global public health. The first identification in late 2019, the strain has undergone several changes that have resulted in several genetically different variations that are cause for concern. By comprising the Delta, Gamma, Beta, and Alpha variations, each of which has shown evidence of increased virulence, transmissibility, or capacity for immune evasion as compared to ancestral strains. Their advancement over ancestral strains in transmission was discovered by genomic surveillance, highlighting the vital necessity for monitoring the evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Remdesivir and other treatments showed promising results in reducing the duration of the disease; however, the development of antivirals to prevent the emergence of new variations is still an important goal. The vaccine also provides hope, although its effectiveness against new genotypes needs to be evaluated. Pakistan is also facing the implications of COVID-19. The months-long closing of colleges and universities affected education as well. As SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, creating efficient antiviral therapies and guaranteeing vaccination accessibility continue to be critical concerns.

Zinc (Zn) is deficient all over the world, mainly in the developing countries, and zinc sulfate is applied as a source of Zn fertilizer. However, the major portions of applied zinc sulfate become unavailable to plant in the soil and can be reverted back to available by inoculating zinc-solubilizing bacteria. Given the significance of the problem, this investigation aimed to enhance wheat yield and zinc biofortification. The approach involved inoculating the crop with native zinc-solubilizing bacteria and applying zinc sulfate to calcareous soil. In this study, a pot and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of treatment combinations (control (without Zn and bacterial inoculation), 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 kg Zn ha−1 were applied to soil without and with inoculation of zinc-solubilizing bacteria to seed of wheat cultivar, i.e., Wadaan-17 and Zincol-16). Results showed that zinc-solubilizing bacteria in conjunction with zinc sulfate significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased the yield by 61

The strain designated NCCP-602T was isolated from tannery effluent, and displayed aerobic, gram-positive, rod-shaped cells that were characterized by oxidase negative, catalase positive, and non-motile features. The most favourable growth conditions were observed at a temperature of 30°C, pH 7.0, and NaCl concentration of 1

The biochemical variety present in millions of species of plants, animals, and microbes makes nature an appealing repository of novel therapeutic candidates. Microorganisms being a prospective resource of a wide range of metabolic compounds have a significant impact on every aspect of life as they are of particular interest for natural antioxidants, immunosuppressants, enzymes, enzyme inhibitors, vitamins, antibiotics, and as treatment sources for diseases such as cancer, anemia, obesity, diabetes, atopic dermatitis, Crohn’s disease, and so on. Metabolomics has become one of the “omics” platforms used by many scientific fields that might offer a more actuation of the physiological condition of a cell by analyzing the whole collection of metabolites within a microbe and monitoring the interactions among developmental processes as well as the environment. The microbial metabolome research and analysis are now applicable only because of recent advancements in technology and informatics used to produce and analyze massive amounts of postgenomic data which have already shown an unanticipated diversity of microbial metabolites and metabolic networks. As a result, metabolomics has recently received a lot of interest due to its ability to provide metabolic information on both function and phenotype. Moreover, accurate characterization of metabolic activity may be accomplished when metabolomics is combined with other “omics” data. The emerging field of microbial metabolomics not only provides a comprehensive view of the modified pathways but also elucidates the mechanisms of the microbe–host interaction, allowing for its translational use, that is, from molecular diagnostics to druggable therapeutic developments for a variety of infectious illnesses. It aims to discover biological changes in endogenous metabolites in response to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The chapter briefly describes key aspects of the metabolome research and downstream resources, the problems that come with obtaining metabolomic data, and the actions that are taken to overcome them. Current analytical approaches, future trends, and certain biomedical applications of metabolomics underlying a variety of infectious illnesses are also briefly discussed in this chapter.

Background: Limited knowledge exists regarding the diversity of mangrove plant-associated Pseudarthrobacter species. This study presents the first draft genome and phylogenetic analysis of a Pseudarthrobacter oxydans NCCP-2145, isolated from the rhizospheric soil of Aviciana marina, a native mangrove plant found in Miani Hor, Lasbela-Baluchistan, Pakistan.: The genome of P. oxydans NCCP-2145 comprises 4,495,869 base pairs, with a G+C content of 65.9% and 4,207 coding sequences. Genome annotation revealed the presence of multiple biosynthesis pathways. The analysis also identified genes responsible for plant growth-promoting traits, such as the synthesis of indole acetic acid, nitrogen fixation, and phosphorus solubilization. Experimental evaluations confirmed strain NCCP-2145 positive reactions for phosphorus solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid production, and ammonia production. Furthermore, strain NCCP-2145 exhibited tolerance to heavy metals (nickel, copper, and cadmium) and salinity levels up to 10% NaCl. Antibiotic susceptibility testing indicated resistance only to ceftazidime and the combination of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. For phylogenomic analysis, strainNCCP-2145 was analyzed and compared to the closely related validly published type species P. oxydans DSM 20119T, revealing a similarity score of 98.64% based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and 89.1% based on DNA-DNA hybridization, confirming its classification as a member of species, P. oxydans. Conclusions: This study significantly contributes to our understanding of the genomic characteristics, functional capabilities, and potential plant growth-promoting attributes of P. oxydans NCCP-2145. Future research should focus on unraveling the precise mechanisms underlying its plant growthpromoting abilities and exploring practical applications in sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration. How to cite: Bushra R, Uzair B, Ali A, et al. Draft genome sequence of a halotolerant plant growthpromoting bacterium Pseudarthrobacter oxydans NCCP-2145 isolated from rhizospheric soil of mangrove plant Avicennia marina. Electron J Biotechnol 2023;66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2023.08.003. (c) 2023 The Authors. Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso. Production and hosting by Elsevier B. V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by

Planococcus is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria known for potential industrial and agricultural applications. Here, we report the first draft genome sequence and phylogenomic analysis of a CRISPR-carrying, multidrug-resistant, novel candidate Planococcus sp. NCCP-2050T isolated from agricultural soil in Pakistan. The strain NCCP-2050T exhibited significant resistance to various classes of antibiotics, including fluoroquinolones (i.e., ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and bacitracin), cephalosporins (cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefoperazone), rifamycins (rifampicin), macrolides (erythromycin), and glycopeptides (vancomycin). Planococcus sp. NCCP-2050T consists of genome size of 3,463,905 bp, comprised of 3639 annotated genes, including 82 carbohydrate-active enzyme genes and 39 secondary metabolite genes. The genome also contained 80 antibiotic resistance, 162 virulence, and 305 pathogen–host interaction genes along with two CRISPR arrays. Based on phylogenomic analysis, digital DNA–DNA hybridization, and average nucleotide identity values (i.e., 35.4 and 88.5

Conventional methods of propagation commonly used for commercially important apple varieties are time consuming, laborious and induce disease transmission from donor to propagating plant. To overcome these problems, a study was designed to optimize the procedure for micropropagation and conservation of Apple. For this purpose, the excised shoot tips of apple varieties were collected from the field of Biological Conservation Institute (BCI), NARC, Islamabad. The surface sterilization of shoot tips was done with 10, 15 20 % sodium hypochlorite for 15 minutes followed by ethanol application at 10, 15 and 20 % for 15 minutes. It had been observed that 10 % of sodium hypochlorite showed maximum survival percentage for ex-plant establishment. After culture initiation, ex-plants were transferred to MS media with the addition of different hormones i.e., BAP at the concentration ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 mg/L, GA3 from 0.5 to 2.5 mg/L and IBA from 0.5 to 3.5 mg/L under aseptic conditions. The results revealed that maximum number of leaves, shoots and plant height was attained with the addition of BAP 0.1 mg/L as compared to other hormonal concentrations. Cultures were incubated at 25 ᵒC under 1000-1500 lux. The plants after propagation were shifted to conservation media for five months (sorbitol mannitol at 10, 20 and 30 g/L each). The use of sorbitol at the concentration of 10 g/L showed slowest growth recorded after 35 days. This optimized method can be used for efficient mass scale production of true type apple varieties and breeders may get disease free plantlets of apples.

Free radicals alter DNA, resulting in various chronic disorders, including cancer. Herbal therapy has a significant potential to block cancer progression and other chronic diseases. The Tamarix aphylla plays an essential role in the modulation of free radicals. Calotropis procera (leaves), a tropical medicinal plant, has shown protective effects against cancer progression. We have examined the antioxidant therapy of separate or combined forms of the Tamarix aphylla and Calotropis procera plant extracts. Tamarix aphylla demonstrated scavenging activity at various concentrations, including 100 microgram/ml, 500 microgram/ml, and 1000 microgram/ml (29%, 37% and 62%). The scavenging activity of Calotropis procera at various concentrations (100 microgram/ml, 500 microgram/ml, and 1000 microgram/ml) was 20%, 31% and 40% against the standard of ascorbic acid (65%, 77% and 84%). The mixture of both plant extracts displayed significant antioxidant potential at various concentrations 100 microgram/ml, 500 microgram/ml, and 1000 microgram/ml which were 45%, 64% and 78%. Our study showed that the mixture of both plants has a significant antioxidant potential by comparing individual plant extracts. Further studies are recommended to elucidate the anti-cancer potential of both plant extracts mixture using in vivo approach for tumor models.

Malaria is a vector-borne protozoal disease, caused by genus Plasmodium, where female anopheles’ mosquito works as a vector to transfer malarial parasite. The disease has been reported to be endemic in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Since drug resistance of the Plasmodium species and economic burden of the disease are the major concerns associated with malaria. Thus, most of the world’s population is focusing on the utilization of medicinal plants as the natural treatment for several diseases including malaria. There is limited published data available regarding anti-malarial activity of Allium sativum against Plasmodium vivax. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the in-vitro anti-malarial activity of Allium sativum methanolic extract. The methanolic extract of Allium sativum showed significant anti-plasmodial activity (80.57%) at 0.2 mg/ml highest tested dose after 24h. The phytochemical analysis showed the presence of Flavonoids, Vinyldithiins, Ajoenes, Alliin and Allicin in the Allium sativum methanolic extract. Among the phytochemicals, only Allicin at the highest tested dose (0.2mg/ml) showed the inhibition (59.75%) of P. vivax inhibition. Allium sativum methanolic extract exhibits anti-plasmodial activities in-vitro. However, further studies are required to assess the in-vivo anti-plasmodial activity of Allium sativum methanolic extract against plasmodium vivax in future.

Zinc (Zn) is an indispensable element for proper plant growth. A sizeable proportion of the inorganic Zn that is added to soil undergoes a transformation into an insoluble form. Zinc-solubilizing bacteria (ZSB) have the potential to transform the insoluble Zn into plant-accessible forms and are thus promising alternatives for Zn supplementation. The current research was aimed at investigating the Zn solubilization potential of indigenous bacterial strains and to evaluate their impact on wheat growth and Zn biofortification. A number of experiments were conducted at the National Agriculture Research Center (NARC), Islamabad, during 2020-21. A total of 69 strains were assessed for their Zn-solubilizing ability against two insoluble Zn sources (ZnO and ZnCO3) using plate assay techniques. During the qualitative assay, the solubilization index and solubilization efficiency were measured. The qualitatively selected Zn-solubilizing bacterial strains were further tested quantitatively using broth culture for Zn and phosphorus (P) solubility. Tricalcium phosphate was used as insoluble source of P. The results showed that broth culture pH was negatively correlated with Zn solubilization, i.e., ZnO (r2 = 0.88) and ZnCO3 (r2 = 0.96). Ten novel promising strains, i.e., Pantoea sp. NCCP-525, Klebsiella sp. NCCP-607, Brevibacterium sp. NCCP-622, Klebsiella sp. NCCP-623, Acinetobacter sp. NCCP-644, Alcaligenes sp. NCCP-650, Citrobacter sp. NCCP-668, Exiguobacterium sp. NCCP-673, Raoultella sp. NCCP-675, and Acinetobacter sp. NCCP-680, were selected from the ecology of Pakistan for further experimentation on wheat crop based on plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) traits, i.e., solubilization of Zn and P in addition to being positive for nifH and acdS genes. Before evaluating the bacterial strains for plant growth potential, a control experiment was also conducted to determine the highest critical Zn level from ZnO to wheat growth using different Zn levels (0.1, 0.05, 0.01, 0.005, and 0.001% Zn) against two wheat varieties (Wadaan-17 and Zincol-16) in sand culture under glasshouse conditions. Zinc-free Hoagland nutrients solution was used to irrigate the wheat plants. As a result, 50 mg kg-1 of Zn from ZnO was identified as the highest critical level for wheat growth. Using the critical level (50 mg kg-1 of Zn), the selected ZSB strains were inoculated alone and in consortium to the seed of wheat, with and without the use of ZnO, in sterilized sand culture. The ZSB inoculation in consortium without ZnO resulted in improved shoot length (14%), shoot fresh weight (34%), and shoot dry weight (37%); with ZnO root length (116%), it saw root fresh weight (435%), root dry weight (435%), and Zn content in the shoot (1177%) as compared to the control. Wadaan-17 performed better on growth attributes, while Zincol-16 had 5% more shoot Zn concentration. The present study concluded that the selected bacterial strains show the potential to act as ZSB and are highly efficient bio-inoculants to combat Zn deficiency, and the inoculation of these strains in consortium performed better in terms of growth and Zn solubility for wheat as compared to individual inoculation. The study further concluded that 50 mg kg-1 Zn from ZnO had no negative impact on wheat growth; however, higher concentrations hampered wheat growth.

Antibiotics employed as a treatment tool for the diseases mainly caused by bacteria. However, the misuse and over-use has led to the antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARBs) emergence which has now become a major global aspect. Super-bugs emergence has been recently observed due to anthropogenic activities, that makes it more critical to control. Due to the lack of advancement and development of antibiotics, this problem is becoming severe day by day. ARBs evolution and spreading has worsened the condition that can be mitigated by the development of advanced diagnostic techniques and tools. It not only affects human life but also, badly impacts on environment. The improper disposal of hospital residues (includes clinical antibiotic wastes) is one of main source which affects environment. There is a need of advanced technology to fight against ARBs that can be possible by setting up multidirectional approaches. These approaches will help us to minimize losses and attain the environmental conditions back to normal. The advanced therapeutic methods are being evolved to gain knowledge about ARBs for their identification, characterization, spreading mechanisms, and control. Alternative approaches like vaccines, probiotics, and antibodies, etc. are needed to be employed globally and one-health national programs should be initiated to decrease risk hazards. There are different means to determine the antibiotic resistant level of bacteria which includes minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), disc method, etc. Two mechanisms are involved in antibiotic resistant genes transmission, i.e., horizontal and vertical gene transfer. Different researches done by numerous bacteria are identified as antibiotic resistant bacteria like Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, etc.

Many diseases, including cancer and diabetes mellitus, are caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Allium sativum (Garlic) contains vitamins A, B, and C, as well as effective drugs like insulin, alliin, mineral salts, mucilages, allicin, and volatile oils. Garlic has antioxidant properties which showed a therapeutic effect on some cancer types. The overall goal of this study was to conduct pharmacological testing to assess the combined antioxidant abilities of Allium sativum (cloves) methanolic and Tamarix aphylla (leaves) extracts. The extract demonstrated garlic activities in a dose-dependent manner, with scavenging activity of 21, 32, and 39% at different concentrations of 100, 500, and 1000 µg/mL. The antioxidant activity of Tamarix aphylla methanolic extract was 29, 37, and 62% using the DPPH free radical scavenging assay at different concentrations of 100, 500, and 1000 µg/mL. However, combining extracts revealed the greatest scavenging activity at various concentrations of 100, 500, and 1000 µg/mL. By using the DPPH free radical scavenging assay, the combined methanolic extract of Tamarix aphylla and Allium sativum demonstrated substantial antioxidant activity of 45, 65, and 75% at concentrations of 100, 500, and 1000 µg/mL. According to our findings, the combined therapy of Tamarix aphylla and Allium sativum significantly inhibited DPPH free radicals. Tamarix aphylla and Allium sativum combined therapy may play an important role in the inhibition of free radicals that cause cancer.

Though emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria in the environment is a demonstrated worldwide phenomenon, limited research is reported about the prevalence of resistant bacteria in fecal ecology of neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) animals in Pakistan. The present study aimed to identify and assess the prevalence of bacterial pathogens and their resistance potential in the fecal ecology of NCD diseased animals of Pakistan. The presence of antibiotic resistance genes (blaTEM, blaNDM-1, blaCTX-M, qnrS) was also investigated. A total of 51 bacterial isolates were recovered from feces of young diarrheic animals (n = 11), collected from 7 cities of Pakistan and identified on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenetic analysis. Selected isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility by disc diffusion method while polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to characterize the blaTEM, blaNDM-1, blaCTX-M, qnrS and mcr-1 antibiotic resistance genes. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences (Accession numbers: LC488898 to LC488948), all isolates were identified that belonged to seventeen genera with the highest prevalence rate for phylum Proteobacteria and genus Bacillus (23%). Antibiotic susceptibility explained the prevalence of resistance in isolates ciprofloxacin (100%), ampicillin (100%), sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (85%), tetracycline (75%), amoxicillin (55%), ofloxacin (50%), ceftazidime (45%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (45%), levofloxacin (30%), cefpodoxime (25%), cefotaxime (25%), cefotaxime/clavulanic acid (20%), and imipenem (10%). MICs demonstrated that almost 90% isolates were multi-drug resistant (against at least three antibiotics), specially against ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline with the highest resistance levels for Shigella sp. (NCCP-421) (MIC-CIP up to 75 μg mL-1) and Escherichia sp. (NCCP-432) (MIC-TET up to 250 μg mL-1). PCR-assisted detection of antibiotic resistance genes showed that 54% isolates were positive for blaTEM gene, 7% isolates were positive for blaCTX-M gene, 23% isolates were positive for each of qnrS and mcr-1 genes, 23% isolates were co-positive in combinations of qnrS and mcr-1 genes and blaTEM and mcr-1 genes, whereas none of the isolate showed presence of blaNDM-1 gene.

Organic waste can be converted to compost for sustaining soil health by microbial activities to improve its physiochemical properties. Compost is called as Gardener's Gold and a vital partner in enhancing crop productivity on a sustainable basis. Composting is helpful to reduce the volume of wastes and in managing landfills through recycling and reusing of organic waste. Vermicompost is also a type of compost utilizing worms for organic wastes disintegration. Composting can be categorized as an aerobic and anaerobic process either carried out in the existence of air or done in controlled air condition. In the aerobic process, it can be grouped into heap, aerated window, and in-vessel, whereas in anaerobic conditions, it is classified into stacks or pile, bokashi, and submerged composting. Nowadays, mechanical composter is available, which is cost effective in terms of time and labor-saving. Compost benefits soil in various ways, such as reducing soil's bulk density and improve water holding capacity, in addition to having an antagonistic effect on pests. The addition of compost in soil enhances microbial activities that consequently trigger mineralization and recycling of organic substances, thereby increases crop productivity. The biochemical changes that occur during decomposition are described on the basis of different phases like the latent phase (microbes are acclimatized and colonized in the compost heap), growth phase, thermophilic phase, and maturation phase. Compost can be enriched through suitable strains of beneficial microbes, inorganic fertilizers, or other suitable additives. Keeping in view the importance of biochemical reactions involved in the process of composting, the aim of this chapter is to highlight the basic understanding of composting biochemistry, its phases, and, finally, its role in sustainable agriculture.

Objectives: Here we describe the first draft genome analysis of a CRISPR-carrying, multidrug-resistant, candidate novel Pseudomonas sp. NCCP-436(T) isolated from faeces of a neonatal diarrhoeic calf. Methods: The genome of strain NCCP-436(T) was sequenced using an Illumina NovaSeq PE150 platform and analysed using various bioinformatic tools. The virulence factors and resistome were identified using PATRIC and CARD servers, while CGView Server was used to construct a circular genome map. Antimicro-bial susceptibility was determined by the disk diffusion technique. Results: The draft genome of strain NCCP-436(T) contains 43 contigs with a total genome size of 3,683,517 bp (61.4% GC content). There are 3,452 predicted genes, including 60 tRNAs, 7 rRNAs and 12 sRNAs. CRISPR analysis revealed two CRISPR arrays with lengths of 1103 bp and 867 bp. Strain NCCP-436(T) was highly resistant to fluoroquinolone, beta-lactam, cephalosporin, aminoglycoside, penicillin, ri-famycin, macrolide, glycopeptide, trimethoprim/sulfonamide and tetracycline antibiotic classes. Addition-ally, 22 antibiotic resistance genes, 313 virulence genes and 253 pathogen-host interactor genes were predicted. Comparison of the average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridisation values with the closely-related strain Pseudomonas khazarica (TBZ2) was found to be 82.08% and 34.90%, respectively, illustrating strain NCCP-436(T) as a potentially new species of Pseudomonas . Conclusion: Substantial number of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes and homology with hu-man pathogens were predicted, exposing the pathogenic and zoonotic potential of strain NCCP-436(T) to public health. These findings may be used to better understand the genomic epidemiological features and drug resistance mechanisms of pathogenic Pseudomonas spp. in Pakistan. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

The present research study investigates the phytochemical and pharmacological importance of Bromus pectinatus. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of this plant was carried out to use standard method for the presence of various bioactive constituents. Results showed the ethanolic extract contain natural product such as steroids, alkaloids, tannins, coumarin, saponins, flavonoids and phenols. These compounds play a key role to reducing various disease and microbial inhibition. The ethanolic extract also showed the antimicrobial and antifugal activity against different pathogenic bacterial strains e.g Escherichia coli, Micrococus leutus, Protus vulgarus, and Kelebsela pneumona and three fungal strains Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavous, Aspergillus niger. The antioxidant assay was performed as % inhibition of DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) free radicals. The plant extract has more antioxidant activity as compared to ascorbic acid. The maximum concentration (800µg/ml) is the most effective of all. The plant extract showed the high cytotoxicity activity against Brine shrimp. Moreover, the plant extract exhibited allelopathic effect on different growth parameters of wheat plant mostly at higher concentration. These results indicate that the BPEE have a potential broad-spectrum antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antioxidant and phytotoxic activity due to the presence of bioactive compounds.

Phenol as environmental pollutant is detrimental to living organisms and needed to be eliminated for environmental safety. Among the various practiced approaches for its removal, bacterial utilization gets attraction due to its eco-friendly and cost effective nature. For this purpose, bacterial strains were isolated from bioremediation site and industrial waste through enrichment in phenol (250 mg L-1) for 3 days at 28 degrees C. After enrichment, morphologically distinct colonies were purified on phenol (200 mg L-1) agar plates and the strains were identified through 16S rRNA gene sequence. Total of eight strains were identified, among them two strains, NCCP-310 and NCCP-405 had the best potential of phenol degradation which were identified as the members of the genera Stenotrophomonas and Staphylococcus. NCCP-310 and NCCP-405 showed 98.85 and 98.9% sequence identity with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Staphylococcus equorum subsp. equorum, respectively. Both strains have ability to tolerate 1000 mg L-1 phenol. The isolated strains degraded 750 mg L-1 of phenol at pH 7 and 28+2 degrees C. NCCP-310 and NCCP-405 showed degradation of such amount in 65 and 85 h with the average rate of 15.65 and 11.64 mg L-1 h(-1). Our work suggests that these strains are efficient in phenol removal and could be used for bioremediation.