Abstract:[Objective]To isolate thermophilic bacteria to degrade organic substances of dead-pig.[Methods]Primary screening was done by using diluted plate count and selective medium,and then enzyme activity was measured for secondary screening. Two thermophilic bacterial strains N-3 and Y-3 were isolated,and could degrade protein and lipids.To test their effect,the isolates were mixed (V:V = 1:1,the number of bacteria was 108 CFU /mL) and inoculated in dead-pigs and sawdust composting with different doses (0%,0.3%,0.6% and 0.9% of the wet weight of fermentation materials).[Results]Strain N-3 was identified as Bacillus aestuarii and Y-3 as Geobacillus thermodenitrificans,based on their 16S rDNA gene sequences. The composting temperature of the 0.3%,0.6% and 0.9% inoculation group could reach 60 ℃ and maintain at the high temperature for about 10 d,which is higher than control (P<0.01).At the end of composting,the dead-pig degradation rate of the (0%,0. 3%,0.6% and 0.9% inoculation groups were 71.2%,75.7%,96.7% and 97.1%,respectively.The groups of 0. 6% and 0.9% were significantly higher than the control (P<0.01).[Conclusion] Sufficient amount inoculation of thermophilic bacteria (>0.6%) could effectively increase composting temperature,maintain thermophilic stage for longer time,and accelerate degradation of dead-pig by composting.