Isolation and Characterization of Enzyme Producing Bacteria from Lake Magadi, an Extreme Soda Lake in Kenya

Micro-organisms that inhabit in environments characterised by conditions which are too harsh for normal life to exist are referred to as extremophiles. Some extremophiles merely tolerate the harsh conditions whereas others require them for their survival and even optimal growth.1 Most described microbial extremophiles are those that thrive under only one distinctive extreme condition such as temperature (thermophiles), salinity (halophiles) or pH (alkaliphiles). Poly extremophiles which have an ability to tolerate and grow under two or more extreme conditions such as haloalkaliphiles, alkalithermophiles and tare rare but in existence.1,2 Haloalkaliphiles, adapted to grow at high salt concentrations and alkaline pH values.3