• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.388-398
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• 1998

A bacterium which is resistant to both mercury and cadmium, and also capable of utilizing phenol as a carbon and energy source, was isolated from the Kumho River sediments near Kangchang Bridge, Taegu, Korea. The isolate was labeled Pseudomonas sp. KM10 and characterized. The bacteria grew in 4 mM $CdCl_2$and in $70{\mu}M$ $HgCl_2$. The bacteria efficiently removed over 90% of 1 g/l phenol within 30 h. In the presence of 1.250 g/l phenol, the growth of the microorganism was slightly retarded and the microorganism could not tolerate 1.5 g/l phenol. Curing of plasmid from the bacteria was carried out to generate a plasmidless strain. Subsequent experiments localized the genes for phenol degradation in plasmid and the genes for mercury resistance and cadmium resistance on the chromosome. Dot hybridization and Southern hybridization under low stringent conditions were performed to identify the DNA homology. These results showed significant homologies between the some sequence of the chromosome of Pseudomonas sp. KM10 and merR of Shigella flexneri R 100, and between the some sequence of the chromosome of Pseudomonas sp. KM10 and cadA of Staphylococcus aureus pI258. The mechanism of cadmium resistance was efflux, similar to that of S. aureus pI258 cadA, and the mechanism of mercury resistance was volatilization, similar to that of S. flexneri R100 mer.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.249-258
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• 1997

Mercury- and cadmium-resistant bacteria were Isolated from an Industrial complex wastewater of Taejon area. All of them were motile, gram negative rods. In the results of physicochemical test and VITEK card test. HM1 was Identified with Achetobacter cd- coaceucus, CM3 was Identified 65 Commonas acidovorns, HM2, HM3, CMI , and CM4 were Pseudomonas sp., but HM4 and CM2 were unidenteed. They were tested for subceptlbility to 14 heavy metals. Mercury-resistant bacteria(HM1, HM2, HM3, and HM4) were sensitive to low concentration(100~400ppm) of $Cd^{2+}$, $Co^{2+}$. $Zn^{2+}$, and Ni2+, while cadmium-resistant bacteria(CM1, CM2, CM3, and CM4) showed resistance up to the high concentration(600~ 1, 200ppm) of these metal loons. As a result of resistance spectrum test of mercury-resistant bacteria, HM1 was broad-spectrum strain, HM2. HM3, and HM4 were narrow-spectrum stratas. Transmission electron microscopic examination of cell wall of HM1 culture grown with and without 100ppm of $HgCl_2$ showed remarkably merphological abnormalities. In the result of atomic absorption spectrometric analysis of cadmium-resistant bacteria grown at 200ppm of $CdCl_2$ for 6h, all of them accumulated cadrnium(14ppm~57ppm) In cell. In cadinium-resistant bacteria, CM1, CM2, and CM4 were spared from the Inhibitory effect of $Cd^{2+}$ by the addition of $Mn^{2+}$, CM4 were also spared from the Inhibitory effect of $Cd^{2+}$ by the addition of $Mn^{2+}$ as well as $Zn^{2+}$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.50-55
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• 2001

Different polluted water samples were collected from a wastewater treatment plant, agricultural drainage canals, the River Nile, and irrigation canals. The samples were examined for the enumeration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Sohag area, Egypt over a period of one year. A total of 240 isolates were collected and tested for their resistance to 12 common antibiotics and 6 heavy metals. The isolates were found to be less resistant to norfloxacin(1.7%), ofloxacin(4.6%), amikacin(9.6%), tobramycin (10.4), carbenicillin (15.4), and gentamycin (41.3%), yet more sensitive to rifampicin (75%), kanamycin (89.6%), ampicillin (90.8%), chloramphenicol (91.7%), streptomycin (92.9%), and tetracyclin(96.3%). In contrast, 7.1%, 12.9%, 25.4%, and 53.7% of the isolates were resistant to lead, cadmium, mercury, and zinc, respectively. None of the isolates had developed a resistance to silver or molybdenum. The high frequency of metal-antibiotic double resistance existed between lead and amikacin (56.5%), cadmium and ofloxacin (72.7%), zinc and norfloxacin (100%), and mercury and carbenicillin (94.6%). The high occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in natural water could be related to the widespread use of antibiotics, with possible public health hazard.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2001

Three Pseudomonas strains (Bk8, Bk9, Bk10) selected from soil for their ability to degrade herbicide diuron were tested for their heavy metal resistance. The growth of these catabolic strains on a minimal medium with various concentrations of $Cd^{2+},\;Zn^{2+},\;Ni^{2+}$, and $Hg^{2+}$ revealed a minimal effect on the carbon source for the inhibitory effect of the metals. One of these strains, namely, Bk8, exhibited a high resistance to the heavy metals as compared to the two other strains. This strain harbors plasmid pBk8 (110 kb) and contains at least fur determinants encoding heavy metal resistance. Nickel and zinc resistance are encoded by genes located on the chromosome, while cadmium and mercury resistance are on plasmid pBk8. Accordingly, the characteristics of strain Bk8 suggest that it would be useful in the bioremediation of aromatic compounds in the presence of toxic heavy metals as co-contaminants.