A halophilic thermotolerant Bacillus isolated from a marine hot spring able to produce a new exopolysaccharide

A halophilic, thermotolerant Bacillus strain (B3-15), isolated from water of a shallow, marine hot spring at Vulcano island (Eolian Islands, Italy), produced an exocellular polysaccharide at 165 mg l-1. It grew on kerosene as sole carbon source and was resistant to heavy metals. It is related to Bacillus licheniformis and its polysaccharide was a tetrasaccharide having manno-pyranosidic configuration.