The new bacteria belongs to Halomonas group, which is a genus of halophilic proteobacteria (salt-loving) and grows over the range of 5 to 25 percent NaCl. The type species of this genus is Halomonas elongata.

‘Halomonas lysinitropha’ has been isolated and identified from the saline ecosystems of the country during biodiversity studies, according to Mohaddeseh Ramezani a faculty member at Iranian Biological Resource Center.

This microorganism is important due to production of bio-polysaccharides and may be used in the future for biodegradation of hard biodegradable compounds, she added.

Iran’s new achievement has been published at the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM‌).