A NEW BACTERIAL STRAIN OF ANTARCTICA, ALTEROMONAS SP THAT PRODUCES A HETEROPOLYMER SLIME

A bacterial strain NF3 was isolated from a sludge sample from Inlet Ad miralty Bay (Antarctica) and has been identified as belonging to the g enus Alteromonas. The isolate was a Gram-negative rod with a single po lar flagellum arrangement. The strain was catalase and oxidase positiv e and capable of gelatin hydrolysis. The G + C content was 42 mol%. Th e fatty acid composition and the protein profile has confirmed its ide ntification as Alteromonas sp. During cell growth, the strain produced an exopolymer composed of 76-86% protein and 8-14% sugars depending o n the medium used.