Extra-Heavy Crude Oil Degradation by Alternaria sp. Isolated from Deep-Sea Sediments of the Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is an important source of oil for the United States and Mexico. There has been growing interest, particularly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in characterizing the fungal diversity of the GoM and identifying isolates for use in the bioremediation of petroleum in the event of another spill. Most studies have focused on light crude oil bioremediation processes, while heavy crude oil (HCO) and extra-heavy crude oil (EHCO) have been largely ignored. In this work, we evaluated the ability of fungal isolates obtained from deep-sea sediments of the Mexican economic exclusive zone (EEZ) of the GoM to degrade HCO (16-20 degrees API) and EHCO (7-10 degrees API). Alternaria sp., Penicillium spp., and Stemphylium sp. grew with HCO as the sole carbon source. Remarkably, Alternaria sp. was the only isolate able to grow with EHCO as the sole carbon source, degrading up to 25.6% of the total EHCO and 91.3% of the aromatic fraction, as demonstrated by gas chromatography analysis of the saturate, aromatic, and polar fractions. These findings proved to be significant, identifying Alternaria sp. as one of the few fungi reported so far capable of degrading untreated EHCO and as a suitable candidate for bioremediation of EHCO in future studies.