UV-Resistant Bacteria with Multiple-Stress Tolerance Isolated from Desert Areas in Iran.

The high UV radiation and scarcity of liquid water in desert areas make these regions among the most challenging environments for life. Here we studied the multitolerant microbial communities of deserts in Iran. Three bacterial strains were isolated and identified asMicrobacterium phyllosphaeraeMG3,Kocuria flavaMG5 andExiguobacterium acetylicumMG7. UV resistance and desiccation tolerance in MG7 and MG5 strains were comparable to multiresistantDeinococcus radiodurans. Also, resistance to mitomycin C and hydrogen peroxide in all isolated strains were significant. The strain MG3 showed moderate to poor salt tolerance but strains MG5 and MG7 showed high NaCl tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]