Bacteria that Aid in Petroleum Polluted Soil

 By: Melissa Villareal 

The figure shows the residual Naphthalene (NAP) percentage after an 8 day incubation. By day 8, there was a significant reduction of the percentage of NAP compared to the sterile control group. Figure taken from Cai et al. 2021.

Environment pollution is an increasing problem with industrialization and globalization. The world relies on petroleum to operate machinery and vehicles. This can lead to petroleum contamination in soil, and it is a serious problem. Petroleum contamination contain organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that pose a serious threat to human health. PAHs are toxic and can cause cancer, DNA mutations and other serious effects on health.

A study by Cai and colleagues (2021) identified a bacteria species that can degrade a type of PAH called naphthalene (NAP). This uncultured bacteria is a Gamma-Proteobacterium species, and it is a key NAP degrader. This is a form of bioremediation mechanism that is found in the natural environment. Their metabolism is able to break down this organic pollutant.

The next step of this research is to identify more bio-degraders of PAH, and being able to culture these bacteria species. Overall, this research is very important to efficiently and safely clean up pollutants from the soil. This can prevent human health consequences, and protect the ecosystem.    

Original Article:

Cai, X., Li, J., Guan, F., Luo, X.and Yuan, Y. (2021) Unveiling metabolic characteristics of an uncultured Gammaproteobacterium responsible for in situ  PAH biodegradation in petroleum polluted soil. Environ Microbiol.