MICROBIAL REDUCTION OF NICOTINE AND EFFECT ON ORAL FLORA

G. Krishna Kumari* and M. Thangavel

ABSTRACT

Tobacco is a product prepared from the leaves of tobacco plants. Alkaloid Nicotine is a major addictive drug which is responsible for disease, disability and death. Nicotine utilizing organisms were isolated from various soil samples and the organisms were identified as Pseudomonas sp and Bacillus sp. To study the effect of nicotine on oral flora, organisms were isolated from oral region and those organisms identified as Staphylococcus sp, Streptococcus sp, Pseudomonas sp, Klebsiellasp and Proteus sp.Pseudomonas sp, was found to effectively degrading nicotine(0.31 OD at 48 hrs) than Bacillus sp(0.25 OD at 48hrs). Isolates both Pseudomonas and Bacillus sp showed increase in the pH from 7 to 9 at 24hrs. Dissolved Oxygen of first day of incubation was obtained as 5.65 and at 3rd day of incubation was2.54 and Biological Oxygen Demand was calculated as 3.1.Effect of nicotine on normal flora was studied and Streptococcus showed maximum effect(25mm zone at 100microliters) and Staphylococcus(14mm zone) against crude nicotine extract and Pseudomonas exhibits resistance against nicotine.

Keywords: Tobacco, Nicotine, Oral Flora.