Isolation and characterization of a crude oil degrading bacteria from formation water: comparative genomic analysis of environmental Ochrobactrum intermedium isolate versus clinical strains

In this study, we isolated an environmental clone of Ochrobactrum intermedium , strain 2745-2, from the formation water of Changqing oilfield in Shanxi, China, which can degrade crude oil. Strain 2745-2 is aerobic and rod-shaped with optimum growth at 42 °C and pH 5.5. We sequenced the genome and found a single chromosome of 4 800 175 bp, with a G+C content of 57.63%. Sixty RNAs and 4737 protein-coding genes were identified: many of the genes are responsible for the degradation, emulsification, and metabolizing of crude oil. A comparative genomic analysis with related clinical strains (M86, 229E, and LMG3301 T ) showed that genes involved in virulence, disease, defense, phages, prophages, transposable elements, plasmids, and antibiotic resistance are also present in strain 2745-2.