Abstract:
This study describes the important of identifying the bacteria in the
surrounding water and bacteria adhering on the submerged PVC plates at Kerteh port,
Terengganu. The aim and objective of this study are to identify the bacteria in the
surrounding water and on submerged PVC plates. Bacteria in the ocean play an
important role in biofilms formation and biofouling activities. Based on the
preliminary observation on the PVC plates left for one month in the surrounding
water, the biofouling activities were occurred at Kerteh port area. The bacteria
identified were only limited to laboratories cultivable bacteria. Then, 16S rRNA gene
sequences, PCR purification and gel electrophoresis were done for a total of 15
bacterial isolates for both samples. Based on gel electrophoresis result, the
amplification of 16S rRNA region was appeared at approximately 1500 base pair and
an adequate amount for identification proposed. The sequencing result showed that,
the bacteria identified were belongs to same family Vibrionaceae. The bacteria were
known as Photobacterium damsalae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio hepatarius.
The bacteria identified indicate that, they were present in the surrounding water and
adhering on the submerged polyvinyl chloride plates.
