World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF INDIGENOUS MICROBES FROM HEAVY METAL-IMPACTED SITES

Kartiki Kale, Piyusha Anupkumar Das, Dr. Sandhya Mulchandani*

ABSTRACT

The surge in industrial activities has significantly increased the release of industrial waste, particularly heavy metals, into the environment, primarily impacting soil and water. Heavy metals, prevalent in various industrial processes, contribute to soil pollution via methods like atmospheric deposition and industrial runoff. Contaminated soil often exhibits reduced microbial mass and soil fertility. Heavy metals pose dire health risks, being toxic even in small amounts, with elements like arsenic and cadmium causing cell damage and cancer. Biological methods, including biosorption and bioaccumulation, show promise for heavy metal removal, exploiting microbial capabilities for cleanup. Ambient conditions significantly affect microbial response to metal concentrations. Specific bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis, demonstrate notable resistance and ability to bioaccumulate heavy metals in various settings. The isolates obtained from multiple sampling sites, were assessed for antimicrobial activity resistance through various methods like Agar cup method and Agar ditch method using a range of selected heavy metals like Copper (Cu), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr) and Lead (Pb). In this study, a genera of various gram positive and negative microorganisms like Bacillus spp., Escherichia coli, Micrococcus spp., Klebsiella spp., Staphylococcus and Arthrobacter., were isolated and identified. These microbes displayed varied levels of resistance to the heavy metals. The investigation has widened the scope for research and development of metal tolerance and antibiotic resistance from bacterial origin. The future prospect lies in the application of these microorganisms for purposes like heavy metal remediation and potential use in extracting rare metals from dilute solution or removing toxic metals from industrial effluents.

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