Characterization of bacterial biofilms formed on AS(V)-containing water

RASTELLI, S.E., ROSALES, B.M., VIERA, M.R.

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 5th International Congress on Arsenic in the Environment; 2014

Microorganisms, particularly those associate to surface (sessile microorganisms) play a role in the process of arsenic mobilization. Several studies showed the existence of specific genes associated to arsenic resistance in microorganisms exposed to arsenic environments. The aim of this work was to study the tolerance to As(V) of sessile bacteria grown materials for drinking water distribution in the presence of As(V). Bacterial counts on Fe and Zn were higher than those obtained on Cu and polypropylene. Culturable As-tolerant bacteria able to grow in the presence of high As (V) concentration (up to 1000 mg L-1) were obtained from all the biofilms except Cu-biofilms, which grew in the presence of up to 300 mg L-1 . Seventeen different species were identified: 64% Bacilli, 12% α-Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, 6 % β- Proteobacteria and γ- Proteobacteria. The arsC gene wasdetected in several sessile communities and bacterial isolates.