Identification of a New Heavy-Metal-Resistant Strain of Geobacillus stearothermophilus Isolated from a Hydrothermally Active Volcanic Area in Southern Italy

Rosanna Puopolo, Giovanni Gallo, Angela Mormone, Danila Limauro, Patrizia Contursi, Monica Piochi, Simonetta Bartolucci and Gabriella Fiorentino
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Rosanna Puopolo: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80139 Napoli, Italy
Giovanni Gallo: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80139 Napoli, Italy
Angela Mormone: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Osservatorio Vesuviano, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Danila Limauro: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80139 Napoli, Italy
Patrizia Contursi: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80139 Napoli, Italy
Monica Piochi: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Osservatorio Vesuviano, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Simonetta Bartolucci: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80139 Napoli, Italy
Gabriella Fiorentino: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80139 Napoli, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 8, 1-15

Abstract: Microorganisms thriving in hot springs and hydrothermally active volcanic areas are dynamically involved in heavy-metal biogeochemical cycles; they have developed peculiar resistance systems to cope with such metals which nowadays can be considered among the most permanent and toxic pollutants for humans and the environment. For this reason, their exploitation is functional to unravel mechanisms of toxic-metal detoxification and to address bioremediation of heavy-metal pollution with eco-sustainable approaches. In this work, we isolated a novel strain of the thermophilic bacterium Geobacillus stearothermophilus from the solfataric mud pool in Pisciarelli, a well-known hydrothermally active zone of the Campi Flegrei volcano located near Naples in Italy, and characterized it by ribotyping, 16S rRNA sequencing and mass spectrometry analyses. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) toward several heavy-metal ions indicated that the novel G. stearothermophilus isolate is particularly resistant to some of them. Functional and morphological analyses suggest that it is endowed with metal resistance systems for arsenic and cadmium detoxification.

Keywords: heavy metals; thermophiles; Geobacillus stearothermophilus; minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC); transmission electron microscopy (TEM) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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