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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 June; 56(6): 1509-1515
Copyright © 1990, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Isolation, Identification, and Characterization of a Feather-Degrading Bacterium

C. M. Williams, C. S. Richter, J. M. MACKenzie Jr. and Jason C. H. Shih^*

¹ University Biotechnology Program and Department of Poultry Science and Electron Microscopy Center and Department of Microbiology,² North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695

ABSTRACT

A feather-degrading culture was enriched with isolates from a poultry waste digestor and adapted to grow with feathers as its primary source of carbon, sulfur, and energy. Subsequently, a feather-hydrolytic, endospore-forming, motile, rod-shaped bacterium was isolated from the feather-degrading culture. The organism was Gram stain variable and catalase positive and demonstrated facultative growth at thermophilic temperatures. The optimum rate of growth in nutrient broth occurred at 45 to 50°C and at pH 7.5. Electron microscopy of the isolate showed internal crystals. The microorganism was identified as Bacillus licheniformis PWD-1. Growth on hammer-milled-feather medium of various substrate concentrations was determined by plate colony count. Maximum growth (approximately 10⁹ cells per ml) at 50°C occurred 5 days postinoculation on 1% feather substrate. Feather hydrolysis was evidenced as free amino acids produced in the medium. The most efficient conditions for feather fermentation occurred during the incubation of 1 part feathers to 2 parts B. licheniformis PWD-1 culture (10⁷ cells per ml) for 6 days at 50°C. These data indicate a potential biotechnique for degradation and utilization of feather keratin.

^* Corresponding author.

Present address: ESE Biosciences Group, 3208 Spring Forest Rd., Raleigh, NC 27604.

Paper no. 12402 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, Raleigh.

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