Copper enhanced monooxygenase activity and FT-IR spectroscopic characterisation of biotransformation products in trichloroethylene degrading bacterium: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia PM102

Aerobic and Anaerobic Biodegradation of 1,2-Dibromoethane by a Microbial Consortium under Simulated Groundwater Conditions

This study was conducted to explore the potential for 1,2-Dibromoethane (EDB) biodegradation by an acclimated microbial consortium under simulated dynamic groundwater conditions. The enriched EDB-degrading consortium consisted of anaerobic bacteria Desulfovibrio, facultative anaerobe Chromobacterium, and other potential EDB degraders. The results showed that the biodegradation efficiency of EDB was more than 61% at 15 °C, and the EDB biodegradation can be best described by the apparent pseudo-first-order kinetics. EDB biodegradation occurred at a relatively broad range of initial dissolved oxygen (DO) from 1.2 to 5.1 mg/L, indicating that the microbial consortium had a strong ability to adapt. The addition of 40 mg/L of rhamnolipid and 0.3 mM of sodium lactate increased the biodegradation. A two-phase biodegradation scheme was proposed for the EDB biodegradation in this study: an aerobic biodegradation to carbon dioxide and an anaerobic biodegradation via a two-electron transfer pathway of dihaloelimination. To our knowledge, this is the first study that reported EDB biodegradation by an acclimated consortium under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, a dynamic DO condition often encountered during enhanced biodegradation of EDB in the field.

Degradation of Chrysene by Enriched Bacterial Consortium

Chrysene is a high molecular weight (HMW), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) known for its recalcitrance and carcinogenic properties and sparsely soluble (0.003 mg/L) in aqueous medium. Due to these refractory properties, bioavailability of chrysene is very low and therefore is persistence in the environment escaping the metabolism by microorganisms. However, few bacterial and fungal strains are reported to degrade chrysene, but with lower efficiency, requiring additional/extraneous carbon sources (co-substrates) for it’s complete mineralization. In this study, development, enrichment and characterization of bacterial consortium ASDC, consisting of Rhodococcus sp., ASDC1; Bacillus sp. ASDC2; and Burkholderia sp. ASDC3 were reported. Chrysene was utilized as a sole source of carbon and energy by the consortium, having maximum degradation rate of 1.5 mg/L/day and maximum growth rate of 0.125/h, under optimized conditions of pH 7.0, 37°C under aeration of 150 rpm on gyrating shaking. Chrysene degradation was unaffected in presence of other PAHs like pyrene, fluoranthene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, benzene, toluene and xylene, individually as well as in mixture. The results revealed that peptone, ammonium nitrate, sodium succinate have enhanced the chrysene degradation rate during first 24 h of experimentation, which was later on inhibited with increase in incubation time. The chrysene degradation was inhibited by mercury even at lower concentration (1 mM). The results also revealed that SDS has enhanced its degradation by 5.2-fold for initial 24 h of growth, but with increasing in the incubation period, it decreases by 1.2-fold on 7^th day of experimentation. The HPLC studies suggested that chrysene was degraded through phthalic acid pathway by the consortium ASDC and the stoichiometric measurements indicated the complete mineralization of chrysene. The flask scale results were validated at simulated microcosm models, where enriched consortium ASDC exhibited maximum degradation (96%) in polluted, non-sterile soil sediment, indicating that consortial strains along with indigenous metabolism showed synergistic metabolism for degradation of chrysene. Thus, the above study revealed the useful enrichment of bacterial community for synergistic degradation of PAHs (chrysene) which could be further exploited for in situ remediation of PAH contaminated sites.

Metabolism of pyrene through phthalic acid pathway by enriched bacterial consortium composed of Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, and Rhodococcus (PBR)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are highly recalcitrant compounds due to their high hydrophobicity and tendency to partition in organic phase of soils. Pyrene is a high-molecular weight PAH, which has human health concerns. In the present study, a bacterial consortium, PBR, was developed from a long-term polluted site, viz., Amlakhadi, Ankleshwar, Gujarat, for effective degradation of pyrene. The consortium effectively metabolized pyrene as a sole source of carbon and energy. The consortium comprised three bacterial species, Pseudomonas sp. ASDP1, Burkholderia sp. ASDP2, and Rhodococcus sp. ASDP3. The maximum growth rate of consortium was 0.060/h and the maximum pyrene degradation rate was 16 mg/l/day. The organic and inorganic nutrients along with different surfactants did not affect pyrene degradation, but degradation rate moderately increased in the presence of sodium succinate. The significant characteristic of the consortium was that it possessed an ability to degrade six other hydrocarbons, both independently and simultaneously at 37 °C, in BHM (pH 7.0) under shaking conditions (150 rpm) and it showed resistance towards mercury at 10 mM concentration. Phthalic acid as one of the intermediates during pyrene degradation was detected through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The efficiency of consortium for pyrene degradation was validated in simulated microcosms’ study, which indicated that 99% of pyrene was metabolized by the consortium under ambient conditions.

Genomic Potential of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in Bioremediation with an Assessment of Its Multifaceted Role in Our Environment

The gram negative bacterium Stenotrophomonas is rapidly evolving as a nosocomial pathogen in immuno-compromised patients. Treatment of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections is problematic because of their increasing resistance to multiple antibiotics. This article aims to review the multi-disciplinary role of Stenotrophomonas in our environment with special focus on their metabolic and genetic potential in relation to bioremediation and phytoremediation. Current and emerging treatments and diagnosis for patients infected with S. maltophilia are discussed besides their capability of production of novel bioactive compounds. The plant growth promoting characteristics of this bacterium has been considered with special reference to secondary metabolite production. Nano-particle synthesis by Stenotrophomonas has also been reviewed in addition to their applications as effective biocontrol agents in plant and animal pathogenesis.

Factors affecting the activation and inhibition of intracellular enzymes for degradation of 1,2 diamino benzene: kinetics and thermodynamic studies

Citrobacter freundii, the bacterium isolated from marine sediments was capable of degrading 1,2 diamino benzene (DAB), an endocrine disruptor. The mixed intracellular enzymes from C. freundii were extracted and purified. The mixed intracellular enzymes were used for the degradation of DAB and degree of degradation was evaluated in terms of pyruvic acid, the end product, formed. The variables such as effect of pH, temperature and metal ions on the degradation of DAB using mixed intracellular enzymes (MICE) were investigated. The maximum amount of pyruvic acid formed was found to be 569 ± 5 µg with 96% degradation efficiency at pH 7; temperature 25 °C; zinc nitrate 0.1 mM; and copper sulphate ions 0.15 mM. The stability of MICE at different temperatures and the interaction of MICE with metal ions were confirmed using FT-IR spectroscopy. The formation of pyruvic acid from degradation of DAB followed pseudo-second-order rate kinetics and it was a spontaneous, exothermic process. The activation energy of degradation of DAB by MICE was found to be 82.55 kJ/mol.

Infections Caused by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in Recipients of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (S. maltophilia) is a globally emerging Gram-negative bacillus that is widely spread in environment and hospital equipment. Recently, the incidence of infections caused by this organism has increased, particularly in patients with hematological malignancy and in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) having neutropenia, mucositis, diarrhea, central venous catheters or graft versus host disease and receiving intensive cytotoxic chemotherapy, immunosuppressive therapy, or broad-spectrum antibiotics. The spectrum of infections in HSCT recipients includes pneumonia, urinary tract and surgical site infection, peritonitis, bacteremia, septic shock, and infection of indwelling medical devices. The organism exhibits intrinsic resistance to many classes of antibiotics including carbapenems, aminoglycosides, most of the third-generation cephalosporins, and other β-lactams. Despite the increasingly reported drug resistance, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is still the drug of choice. However, the organism is still susceptible to ticarcillin-clavulanic acid, tigecycline, fluoroquinolones, polymyxin-B, and rifampicin. Genetic factors play a significant role not only in evolution of drug resistance but also in virulence of the organism. The outcome of patients having S. maltophilia infections can be improved by: using various combinations of novel therapeutic agents and aerosolized aminoglycosides or colistin, prompt administration of in vitro active antibiotics, removal of possible sources of infection such as infected indwelling intravascular catheters, and application of strict infection control measures.