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Indigenous soil bacteria with the combined potential for hydrocarbon consumption and heavy metal resistance

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Abstract

Introduction

Transconjugant bacteria with combined potential for hydrocarbon utilization and heavy metal resistance were suggested by earlier investigators for bioremediation of soils co-contaminated with hydrocarbons and heavy metals. The purpose of this study was to offer evidence that such microorganisms are already part of the indigenous soil microflora.

Methods

Microorganisms in pristine and oily soils were counted on nutrient agar and a mineral medium with oil as a sole carbon source, in the absence and presence of either sodium arsenate (As V), sodium arsenite (As III) or cadmium sulfate, and characterized via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The hydrocarbon-consumption potential of individual strains in the presence and absence of heavy metal salts was measured.

Results

Pristine and oil-contaminated soil samples harbored indigenous bacteria with the combined potential for hydrocarbon utilization and As and Cd resistance in numbers up to 4 × 105 CFU g−1. Unicellular bacteria were affiliated to the following species arranged in decreasing order of predominance: Bacillus subtilis, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, Brevibacterium linens, Alcaligenes faecalis, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Chromobacterium orangum. Filamentous forms were affiliated to Nocardia corallina, Streptomyces flavovirens, Micromonospora chalcea, and Nocardia paraffinea. All these isolates could grow on a wide range of pure aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, as sole sources of carbon and energy, and could consume oil and pure hydrocarbons in batch cultures. Low As concentrations, and to a lesser extent Cd concentrations, enhanced the hydrocarbon-consumption potential by the individual isolates.

Conclusion

There is no need for molecularly designing microorganisms with the combined potential for hydrocarbon utilization and heavy metal resistance, because they are already a part of the indigenous soil microflora.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by the Kuwait University, Research Grant SL 08/07. Thanks are due to the SAF unit and GRF, Kuwait University for their help in GLC, (GS 02/01), ICP-MS (GS 01/05), and Genetic analyzer (GS 01/02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, PO Box 5969, Safat, 13060, Kuwait

    Nida Ali, Narjes Dashti, Dina Al-Mailem, Mohamed Eliyas & Samir Radwan

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  1. Nida Ali
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  2. Narjes Dashti
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  3. Dina Al-Mailem
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  4. Mohamed Eliyas
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  5. Samir Radwan
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Correspondence to Samir Radwan.

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Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu

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Ali, N., Dashti, N., Al-Mailem, D. et al. Indigenous soil bacteria with the combined potential for hydrocarbon consumption and heavy metal resistance. Environ Sci Pollut Res 19, 812–820 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-011-0624-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-011-0624-z

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