Utilizing the Adenosine-5’-Phosphosulfate Reductase (apsA) Gene for Genetic Profiling of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in Oil Fields of Basrah City

Abstract

Samples of oil produced water were systematically collected from five distinct oil well sites in Basrah city, to facilitate the preparation of sulfate-reducing bacterial growth cultures, various chemical parameters were measured during the study. Primers targeting 678bp of apsA gene were synthesized, followed by PCR amplification and subsequent sequencing of the PCR product. The analysis revealed a high-quality sequence comprising 472 base pairs. Alignment of BLAST results demonstrated a remarkable 99.57% similarity with Desulfovibrio vulgaris DP4, confirming the presence of the apsA gene in the chromosomal DNA of this bacterium, thereby categorizing it as a sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). This genetic detection study, focusing on the adenosine-5’-phosphosulfate reductase alpha subunit apsA gene in water samples in an oil field in Basrah City, Iraq, constitutes an important contribution to understanding the distribution and diagnosis of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) bacteria in oil reservoirs.