Resistance of environmental bacteria to heavy metals

Bacteria were isolated from different naturally polluted environments. Metal-resistant bacteria were selected and minimal inhibitory concentrations of heavy metals (MICs) for each isolate were determined. In addition, the mobility of the most important metallic cations (Cu, Zn, Cr, Cd, Co, Hg) was evaluated by comparing results obtained by two tests of toxicity in solid and liquid media. Results of the test of toxicity in solid media agreed with those in liquid, however, inhibitory concentrations in solid media were much higher than those in liquid. The range of metal concentrations tolerated in solid and liquid media yielded information on the capacity of adsorption and complexation of the metals. Mercury, and to a lesser degree copper, seemed to have a good capacity for adsorption and complexation and, consequently, had a limited diffusion in different naturally polluted environments. The presence of metals in the growth medium allowed us to maintain the tolerance of bacteria at a comparable level with that observed in naturally polluted environments. Cu and Cr were the best tolerated metals. Hg was the most toxic component for all bacteria, followed by Co and Cd. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (strain S6), with a relatively high MIC for metals and a large spectrum of antibiotic resistance appears to be a bacterial model for eco-toxicological studies.