Agricultural and Biological Research

Bacterial screening of historic site of Qarah caves, biosphere analysis

Dhawi F

Microbial activities play major roles in both the building foundations ofhistorical sites and ecotourism health. The Qarah Caves, located in thehistorical site of Qarah Mountain in Al-Ahsa Oasis, a UNESCO worldheritage site, have experienced an increase in the daily tourist number,consequently increasing human activity inside the caves. In the currentstudy, ten spots in the caves were screened to identify bacterial communities,and two unknown samples were subjected to phenotypic and molecularidentification. We used small subunit ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) geneDNA data to identify bacteria from ten sites. The phenotypic analysis of theunknown samples identified rod-shaped Gram-negative bacteria under amicroscope. The molecular analysis indicated that the unknown bacterialsamples were Salmonella enterica and Kluyvera intermedia. The studyemphasized the importance of managing procedures for historical sites tomaintain a better status and prevent disruption. Healthy ecotourismrequires taking care during caving and after by washing hands. Some cavemicrobes are pathogenic such as Salmonella enterica while others carrybioremediation potentials such as Kluyvera intermedia.Key Words: Cave microbiology, Bacteria screening, Bacterial isolates,Ecotourism, Public health