Germanium toxicity in selected bacterial and yeast strains

Summary The toxicity of germanium dioxide (GeO₂) to 21 bacterial and 13 yeast strains was investigated in liquid broth medium to obtain information on strains tolerant to high (1 to 2 mg/ml) GeO₂ concentrations.Arthrobacter sp. NRC 32005,enterobacter aerogenes NRC 2926,Klebsiella aerogenes NCTC 418 andPseudomonas putida NRC 5019 were tolerant to 1 mg/ml GeO₂.Bacillus sp. RC607 was able to grow in the presence of 2 mg/ml GeO₂ at pH 10 in broth culture. The yeastsCandida guilliermondii, Candida shehatae andPachysolen tannophilus were the most sensitive to GeO₂ as evidenced by their diminished growth rates at a GeO₂ concentration as low as 0.1 mg/ml. None of the yeast strains tested exhibited growth in the presence of 1 mg/ml GeO₂. The high pH of the medium containing germanium may be partially responsible for the growth inhibition of the yeast cultures. Select bacterial cultures previously exposed to 1 mg/ml GeO₂ could tolerate and grow better at 2 mg/ml GeO₂, suggesting the existence of very efficient adaptive mechanisms. The pH of the medium could modulate GeO₂ tolerance and this effect was found to be strain-dependent.     

Health and chemical burdens of fish species from polluted and hyper-eutrophic freshwater ecosystems in South Africa

Three aquatic ecosystems in South Africa, the Hartbeespoort, Klipvoor and Bospoort Dams, are classified as hyper-eutrophic, because of high nutrient loads and chemical pollution. Water and two fish species, Clarias gariepinus and Cyprinus carpio, were collected from these dams to assess the impact of eutrophication and chemical pollutants on their health status. Water and muscle samples were analysed for organic and inorganic chemicals. Condition factor was determined and a necropsy performed to note any macroscopic abnormalities. A histology-based fish health assessment was done on the liver, kidney, gills and gonads. A number of fish from the three dams exhibited livers with fatty change and focal discoloration, skin lesions and parasites within the visceral cavity. The prevalence and severity of histopathology in the liver resulted in higher liver index values than the index values for kidneys and gills. Aluminium, silicon and chromium were detected in the water and muscle tissue. The DDT metabolite p,p’-DDE was present in both species, as well as in fish from the reference site, Marico-Bosveld Dam. Only C. gariepinus from Hartbeespoort Dam had p,p’-DDD levels higher than 5 µg g^?1 per edible portion. Water from hyper-eutrophic dams adversely affects the health of freshwater fish.     

Distribution,Speciation and Bioaccumulation of Hg and As in Mariculture Sediments from Dongshan Bay,China

Hg and As are the major hazardous pollutants in marine sediments due to their high toxicity to benthonic organisms. Understanding the spatial distribution, speciation and bioaccumulation of these toxic elements in sediments is therefore of high environmental importance for identifying their potential risks. Sediments and bivalves Paphia undulata were collected from the mariculture area of Dongshan Bay, China, for characterizing geochemistry (by using the European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction procedure) and bioaccumulation of Hg and As [by calculating the biota sediment accumulation factor (BSAF)]. Both elements in sediments were mostly associated with the residual fraction (69.52–95.06% and 88.22–91.12% of the total concentration, respectively), followed by the oxidizable (bound to sulfides and organic matter) fraction (1.25–25.32% and 3.62–6.00%, respectively). However, Hg presented a higher bioaccumulation than As. Correlation analysis indicated that As in residual fraction and Hg in oxidizable fraction exert positive contributions (R = 0.927, P < 0.01 and R = 0.869, P < 0.05, respectively) on their own bioaccumulation factor. This indicated that P. undulata could adsorb both Hg in organic fraction and As in residual fraction from the sediments. Therefore, we should pay more attention to the potential dissolution and release of metals bound to sediments in the digestive tracts of marine organisms.     

Differential pulse polarography: a method for the direct study of biosorption of metal ions by live bacteria from mixed metal solutions

The technique of differential pulse polarography is shown here to be applicable to the monitoring directly the biosorption of metal ions from solution by live bacteria from mixed metal solutions. Biosorption of Cd(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II) by P. cepacia was followed using data obtained at the potential which is characteristic of the metal ion in the absence and presence of cells. Hepes buffer (pH 7.4, 50 mM) was used as a supporting electrolyte in the polarographic chamber and metal ion peaks in the presence of cells of lower amplitude were obtained due to metal-binding by the cells. Well defined polarographic peaks were obtained in experiments involving mixtures of metal ions of Cd(II)-Zn(II), Cu(II)-Zn(II), Cu(II)-Cd(II) and Cd(II)-Ni(II). Biosorption of Cd(II), Zn(II) increased with solution pH. The method was also tested as a rapid technique for assessing removal of metal ions by live bacteria and the ability of the polarographic technique in measuring biosorption of metal ions from mixed metal solutions is demonstrated. Cu(II) was preferentially bound and removal of metals was in the order Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Zn(II), Cd(II) by intact cells of P. cepacia. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effects of Cu,Pb and Zn on two Potamogeton species grown under field conditions

Two common macrophyte species, Potamogeton perfoliatus L. and Potamogeton pectinatus L. were grown for 12 weeks at shallow depths in sediments contaminated with 1250 or 2500 g Pb or Cu and/or Zn (gDW sediment)^-1. Control experiments were run at background levels of 4, 13, and 38 g Pb, Cu and Zn (gDW sediment)^-1, respectively. Effects of heavy metals on biomass production and metal uptake and distribution in plants are presented in relation to total amount and plant-available fraction of metals in the sediment.All three studied metals gave reduced biomass production, and the toxicity of the metals decreased in the order Zn>Cu>Pb. The root/shoot biomass ratio increased for P. pectinatus, but decreased for P. perfoliatus with metal treatment. The content of any single metal was higher in shoots than in roots of plants grown on sediments not contaminated with that specific metal, but addition of that metal increased the proportion in roots. The uptake by plants of any of the heavy metals increased with increased metal addition. The magnitude of the plant-available fraction of metals of untreated sediment was Zn>Cu>Pb, and increased in contaminated sediments. Addition of Cu decreased both the plant-available fraction and the total concentration of Zn in the sediment, while increased the uptake of Zn by the plants. The opposite was found for Cu when Zn was added. P. pectinatus accumulated about twice as much Cu as P. perfoliatus. On the other hand, the concentration of Pb was higher in P. perfoliatus than in P. pectinatus, and was negligible in P. pectinatus when cultivated in untreated sediments.     

Bioaccumulation of silver by a multispecies community of bacteria

A stable community of bacteria that had unusually high tolerance of soluble silver was isolated from soil by chemostat enrichment. The community consisted of three bacteria: Pseudomonas maltophilia, Staphylococcus aureus and a coryneform organism. The pseudomonas was primarly responsible for the silver resistance. The tolerance of high silver concentrations, up to 100 mM Ag⁺, was greatly reduced when the community was grown in the absence of silver. Pseudomonas maltophilia comprised approximately 50% by numbers of the community when grown in chemostats in the presence or absence of Ag⁺ but large fluctuations occurred in population sizes of the other two bacteria; the S. aureus population was small (less than 1%) in the presence of Ag⁺ but comparised a third of the total numbers when Ag⁺ was omitted from the medium. Silver-resistant respiration of the silveradapted community was significant even when it was confronted with high concentrations of Ag⁺. In contrast the respiration of the coryneform organism and particularly S. aureus was highly sensitive to silver. The inhibition constants for silver-sensitive respiration were 0.78 mM and 0.04 mM for silver acclimatized and nonacclimatized communities respectively.The community had great capacity for silver bioaccumulation. Maximum concentrations of over 300 mg silver per g dry weight of biomass were recorded at an accumulation rate of 21 mg Ag⁺ h^-1 (g biomass)^-1. The extent of silver removal from solution was a function of initial concentration of silver; at low external concentrations (ca. 1 mM) all the silver was rapidly removed from solution, at high concentrations (ca. 12 mM) 84% removal occurred in 15 h.     

Native fungal pellets as a biosorbent for heavy metals

Abstract: Fungal pellets (diameters ranging from 0.5 to 2 mm) were precultured in sugar-containing industrial sewage. They were packed into chromatography columns and then tested for biosorption of silver, copper and lead, using the downflow method. The physical parameters taken (differential pressure at the column, flow rate, bed height) showed rather good mechanical properties of the pellets. Charging the column with heavy metal solution (1 mM Ag+, Cu2+ or Pb2+ as nitrates in distilled water) resulted in very good biosorptive properties. Eluted solution contained less than or an equal amount of 1 gM heavy metal, demonstrating a removal of more than 99.9% of added metal.     

Investigation of Ag in the king scallop Pecten maximus using field and laboratory approaches

The bioaccumulation, tissue and subcellular distributions of Ag were investigated in the king scallop Pecten maximus from the Bay of Seine fishery area (France) in laboratory and in field conditions. Experimental investigations with the radiotracer ^110mAg showed that the scallop readily concentrated Ag when exposed via seawater and to a much lower extent when exposed via sediment. Retention of the metal incorporated via all tested contamination pathways was shown to be very strong, but the assimilation efficiency of Ag ingested with food was found to be tightly depending on the phytoplankton strain used to feed the scallops (74 and 33% with Skeletonema costatum and Isochrysis galbana, respectively). The uptake and depuration kinetic parameters determined in the laboratory experiments were used to run a global bioaccumulation model. The latter indicated that the major uptake pathway of Ag in P. maximus was strongly depending on the food quality. Indeed, when fed the diatom S. costatum which was characterised by a high affinity for Ag (high distribution constant K_df) the relative contribution of the feeding pathway reached 98% of the global Ag bioaccumulation. In contrast, when fed I. galbana which displayed a lower K_df than S. costatum, dietary Ag was retained to a lesser extent by P. maximus, and seawater appeared as the major contributing uptake pathway. In wild scallops collected from reference and contaminated sites, Ag was mainly concentrated in the digestive gland and secondarily in the gills, and was mainly found associated with the insoluble subcellular fraction in all the scallop tissues.     

在沉积物暴露条件下2种海洋贝类对Cu、Pb 的富集动力学研究

首次通过构建海水-底泥-生物体体系,应用半静态双箱动力学模型室内模拟了沉积物暴露条件下文蛤(Meretrix meretrix)和缢蛏(Sinonovacula constricta)对Cu、Pb的生物富集实验,通过对富集与排出过程中文蛤体内重金属污染物的动态监测和对富集与排出过程监测结果的非线性拟合,得到了文蛤和缢蛏富集重金属的吸收速率常数K1、排出速率常数K2、生物富集因子BCF、富集平衡浓度CAmax、生物学半衰期B1/2等动力学参数。拟合结果得到的Cu、Pb各动力学参数分别为:文蛤K1为4.63—69.41,K2为0.05—0.08,CAmax为9.83—40.57,BCF为60.77—1444.56,B1/2为9.09—14.43;缢蛏K1为4.27—122.92。K2为0.05—0.07。CAmax为5.12—32.84。BCF为65.68—2112.02。B1/2为9.81—14.15。对模型的拟合优度检验结果显示,在沉积物暴露条件下文蛤和缢蛏对重金属Cu、Pb的生物富集数据符合双箱模型,模型的拟合优度良好。比较结果得出:吸收速率常数K1及生物富集因子BCF均随着外部水体金属暴露浓度的增大而减小;CAmax均随着外部水体金属暴露浓度的增大而增大;文蛤和缢蛏对Cu富集能力大于Pb;Cu在文蛤和缢蛏体内的生物学半衰期B1/2大于Pb;理论平衡状态下文蛤和缢蛏体内Cu、Pb的含量CAmax随着外部水体中金属暴露浓度的增大而增大,且呈显著正相关,实验结果表明在沉积物暴露条件下双箱动力学模型在一定条件下是可以应用于文蛤和缢蛏的富集动力学研究的,但仍需要进一步开展在不同条件下实验研究分析。     

环丙沙星在异育银鲫(Allogynogenetic crucian)体内的积累分布及其毒性效应

采用模拟水生态系统研究了环丙沙星(Ciprofloxacin,CPFX)在异育银鲫(Allogynogenetic crucian)体内的积累和分布动态,并测定了异育银鲫体内Ⅰ相、Ⅱ相代谢酶活性的响应.结果表明,饲料暴露、水体暴露和混合暴露3种不同给药方式对CPFX在异育银鲫的体内积累趋势有明显影响,在饲料给药暴露方式中CPFX在鱼体内脏、肌肉中的残留量远高于水体给药暴露.3种不同给药方式暴露下,CPFX在异育银鲫内脏和肌肉中的积累趋势大致相同,暴露初期吸收较快,并且很快达到峰值.随暴露时间延长,CPFX在鱼体内含量逐渐下降.在CPFX暴露初期,异育银鲫体EROD酶活性受到抑制,暴露45d后,3种暴露方式异育银鲫EROD活性均恢复到暴露前水平.异育银鲫GST酶活性受到CPFX的诱导,3种不同给药方式均导致GST活性增加,并且表现出滞后响应.暴露初期不同处理组GSH含量均有下降.但随暴露时间延长,异育银鲫体内GSH受到诱导,在暴露后期又恢复至暴露前水平.