For IMI, the results showed that approximately 78% was
removed after 11 days. To the best of our knowledge, this is
the first reported case of B. thuringiensis biodegrading IMI. In
addition, this microorganism shows great potential as a tool
in the bioremediation of this pesticide. The lower amount of
biodegradation compared to PHE might be explained by the
fact that the microorganism was isolated from hydrocarbon
contaminated marine sediment. This fact is in accordance
with Hu et al. (2013) who concluded that native ecological
niches are more effective tools for bioremediation. Furthermore,
this is a very interesting result because it is the first time
that the degradation of IMI is reported for this microorganism.