Open AccessStructure and Species Composition of Mercury-Reducing Biofilms
Author(s) -
Irene WagnerDöbler,
Heinrich Lünsdorf,
Tina L. Lübbehüsen,
H.F. von Canstein,
Y. Li
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
applied and environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.552
H-Index - 324
eISSN - 1070-6291
pISSN - 0099-2240
DOI - 10.1128/aem.66.10.4559-4563.2000
Subject(s) - mercury (programming language) , bacteria , biofilm , microorganism , effluent , temperature gradient gel electrophoresis , stenotrophomonas , microbiology and biotechnology , pseudomonas putida , microbial population biology , chemistry , biology , 16s ribosomal rna , environmental science , environmental engineering , genetics , programming language , computer science
Mercury-reducing biofilms from packed-bed bioreactors treating nonsterile industrial effluents were shown to consist of a monolayer of bacteria by scanning electron microscopy. Droplets of several micrometers in diameter which accumulated outside of the bacterial cells were identified as elemental mercury by electron-dispersive X-ray analysis. The monospecies biofilms ofPseudomonas putida Spi3 initially present were invaded by additional strains, which were identified to the species level by thermogradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) and 16S rDNA sequencing. TGGE community fingerprints of the biofilms showed that they were composed of the effluent bacteria and did not contain uncultivable microorganisms. Of the 13 effluent bacterial strains, 2 were not mercury resistant, while all the others had resistance levels similar to or higher than the inoculant strain.
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