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Volatilisation of mercury and organomercurials determined by inducible R-factor systems in enteric bacteria

Nature volume 251, pages 335–337 (1974)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 08 November 1974

Abstract

WE have screened a large number of R plasmid-bearing Escherichia coli and obtained a few that confer resistance to the organomercurials phenylmercuric acetate (PMA) and methylmercuric chloride (MMA). Resistance to cationic Hg(II) in E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa has invariably been associated with plasmids that also mediate resistance to various antibiotics (R plasmids)1–6. The mechanism of mercury resistance, is the enzymatic reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0), which is volatile2,7,8. Previously, no organomercurial-reducing E. coli strains have been reported. The only organomercurial-reducing strain studied in detail is a PMA-resistant soil pseu-domonad7–9. As organomercurials including PMA are a human health problem10, it will be of interest to see if the mercury(ial) resistance of the bacteria in our alimentary canal influences the fate of ingested mercury(ials).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, 63130

    JANET SCHOTTEL, AMALENDU MANDAL, DAN CLARK & SIMON SILVER

  2. Bacteriology Department, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12, UK

    R. W. HEDGES

Authors
  1. JANET SCHOTTEL
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  2. AMALENDU MANDAL
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  3. DAN CLARK
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  4. SIMON SILVER
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  5. R. W. HEDGES
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SCHOTTEL, J., MANDAL, A., CLARK, D. et al. Volatilisation of mercury and organomercurials determined by inducible R-factor systems in enteric bacteria. Nature 251, 335–337 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/251335a0

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