The thermophilic bacterium Meiothermus ruber H328 aggressively degrades chicken feathers. When feathers were added to culture medium, the cells significantly exfoliated membrane vesicles from the outer membrane as observed by electron microscopy of ultrathin sections. This is the first report of membrane vesicle production associated with keratinolytic activity by Meiothermus sp.
Keywords: Meiothermus; keratin; membrane vesicle; protease; thermophile.