This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sani, R. K.
Right arrow Articles by Brown, L. T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sani, R. K.
Right arrow Articles by Brown, L. T.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Sani, R. K.
Right arrow Articles by Brown, L. T.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2001, p. 4765-4772, Vol. 67, No. 10
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.10.4765-4772.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Copper-Induced Inhibition of Growth of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20: Assessment of Its Toxicity and Correlation with Those of Zinc and Lead

Rajesh Kumar Sani, Brent M. Peyton,* and Laura T. Brown

Department of Chemical Engineering, Center for Multiphase Environmental Research, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-2710

Received 9 May 2001/Accepted 1 August 2001

The toxicity of copper [Cu(II)] to sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) was studied by using Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20 in a medium (MTM) developed specifically to test metal toxicity to SRB (R. K. Sani, G. Geesey, and B. M. Peyton, Adv. Environ. Res. 5:269-276, 2001). The effects of Cu(II) toxicity were observed in terms of inhibition in total cell protein, longer lag times, lower specific growth rates, and in some cases no measurable growth. At only 6 µM, Cu(II) reduced the maximum specific growth rate by 25% and the final cell protein concentration by 18% compared to the copper-free control. Inhibition by Cu(II) of cell yield and maximum specific growth rate increased with increasing concentrations. The Cu(II) concentration causing 50% inhibition in final cell protein was evaluated to be 16 µM. A Cu(II) concentration of 13.3 µM showed 50% inhibition in maximum specific growth rate. These results clearly show significant Cu(II) toxicity to SRB at concentrations that are 100 times lower than previously reported. No measurable growth was observed at 30 µM Cu(II) even after a prolonged incubation of 384 h. In contrast, Zn(II) and Pb(II), at 16 and 5 µM, increased lag times by 48 and 72 h, respectively, but yielded final cell protein concentrations equivalent to those of the zinc- and lead-free controls. Live/dead staining, based on membrane integrity, indicated that while Cu(II), Zn(II), and Pb(II) inhibited growth, these metals did not cause a loss of D. desulfuricans membrane integrity. The results show that D. desulfuricans in the presence of Cu(II) follows a growth pattern clearly different from the pattern followed in the presence of Zn(II) or Pb(II). It is therefore likely that Cu(II) toxicity proceeds by a mechanism different from that of Zn(II) or Pb(II) toxicity.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Chemical Engineering, Center for Multiphase Environmental Research, Washington State University, Dana Hall, Rm. 118, Pullman, WA 99164-2710. Phone: (509) 335-4002. Fax: (509) 335-4806. E-mail: bmp{at}wsu.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2001, p. 4765-4772, Vol. 67, No. 10
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.10.4765-4772.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Neculita, C.-M., Zagury, G. J., Bussiere, B. (2007). Passive Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage in Bioreactors using Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria: Critical Review and Research Needs. J. Environ. Qual. 36: 1-16 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Naz, N., Young, H. K., Ahmed, N., Gadd, G. M. (2005). Cadmium Accumulation and DNA Homology with Metal Resistance Genes in Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 4610-4618 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lawrence, J. R., Chenier, M. R., Roy, R., Beaumier, D., Fortin, N., Swerhone, G. D. W., Neu, T. R., Greer, C. W. (2004). Microscale and Molecular Assessment of Impacts of Nickel, Nutrients, and Oxygen Level on Structure and Function of River Biofilm Communities. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 4326-4339 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Edgcomb, V. P., Molyneaux, S. J., Saito, M. A., Lloyd, K., Boer, S., Wirsen, C. O., Atkins, M. S., Teske, A. (2004). Sulfide Ameliorates Metal Toxicity for Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Archaea. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 2551-2555 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chang, I. S., Groh, J. L., Ramsey, M. M., Ballard, J. D., Krumholz, L. R. (2004). Differential Expression of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Genes in Response to Cu(II) and Hg(II) Toxicity. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 1847-1851 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»