Effects of sulfate reducing bacteria and sulfate concentrations on mercury methylation in freshwater sediments

Dingding Shao; Yuan Kang; Shengchun Wu; Ming H. Wong

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.09.042

Effects of sulfate reducing bacteria and sulfate concentrations on mercury methylation in freshwater sediments

Dingding Shao, Yuan Kang, Shengchun Wu, Ming H. Wong^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Biology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review

75 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Methylmercury (MeHg) is the most poisonous form of mercury (Hg) and it enters the human body primarily through consumption of Hg contaminated fish. Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are major producers of MeHg in anoxic sediments. The dsrAB gene was isolated from freshwater fish pond sediments. Sequence analyses showed that the SRB in sediments was mainly composed of Desulfobulbus propionicus and Desulfovibrio vulgaris. The two species of SRB were cultured from freshwater sediments. The addition of inorganic Hg to these freshwater sediments caused an increase in MeHg concentrations at 30. days incubation. MeHg levels were sensitive to sulfate concentrations; a medium sulfate level (0.11. mg/g) produced higher levels than treatments lacking sulfate addition or when amended with 0.55. mg/g. Assessment of bacterial levels by PCR measurements of microbial DNA indicated that the MeHg levels were correlated with cell growth.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	331-336
Number of pages	6
Journal	Science of the Total Environment
Volume	424
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.09.042
Publication status	Published - 1 May 2012

Scopus Subject Areas

Environmental Engineering
Environmental Chemistry
Waste Management and Disposal
Pollution

User-Defined Keywords

DNA quantification
Methylmercury
Sulfate amendment
Sulfate reducing bacteria

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10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.09.042

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title = "Effects of sulfate reducing bacteria and sulfate concentrations on mercury methylation in freshwater sediments",

abstract = "Methylmercury (MeHg) is the most poisonous form of mercury (Hg) and it enters the human body primarily through consumption of Hg contaminated fish. Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are major producers of MeHg in anoxic sediments. The dsrAB gene was isolated from freshwater fish pond sediments. Sequence analyses showed that the SRB in sediments was mainly composed of Desulfobulbus propionicus and Desulfovibrio vulgaris. The two species of SRB were cultured from freshwater sediments. The addition of inorganic Hg to these freshwater sediments caused an increase in MeHg concentrations at 30. days incubation. MeHg levels were sensitive to sulfate concentrations; a medium sulfate level (0.11. mg/g) produced higher levels than treatments lacking sulfate addition or when amended with 0.55. mg/g. Assessment of bacterial levels by PCR measurements of microbial DNA indicated that the MeHg levels were correlated with cell growth.",

keywords = "DNA quantification, Methylmercury, Sulfate amendment, Sulfate reducing bacteria",

author = "Dingding Shao and Yuan Kang and Shengchun Wu and Wong, {Ming H.}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors are grateful to the Research Grants Council of the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong (Central Allocation, Group Research, No. HKBU 01/7C and Special Equipment Grant, No. HKBU09 ) and Hong Kong Baptist University (Mini-AoE, Area of Excellence, RC/AOE/08-09/01 ) for financial support. ",

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doi = "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.09.042",

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T1 - Effects of sulfate reducing bacteria and sulfate concentrations on mercury methylation in freshwater sediments

AU - Shao, Dingding

AU - Kang, Yuan

AU - Wu, Shengchun

AU - Wong, Ming H.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors are grateful to the Research Grants Council of the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong (Central Allocation, Group Research, No. HKBU 01/7C and Special Equipment Grant, No. HKBU09 ) and Hong Kong Baptist University (Mini-AoE, Area of Excellence, RC/AOE/08-09/01 ) for financial support.

PY - 2012/5/1

Y1 - 2012/5/1

N2 - Methylmercury (MeHg) is the most poisonous form of mercury (Hg) and it enters the human body primarily through consumption of Hg contaminated fish. Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are major producers of MeHg in anoxic sediments. The dsrAB gene was isolated from freshwater fish pond sediments. Sequence analyses showed that the SRB in sediments was mainly composed of Desulfobulbus propionicus and Desulfovibrio vulgaris. The two species of SRB were cultured from freshwater sediments. The addition of inorganic Hg to these freshwater sediments caused an increase in MeHg concentrations at 30. days incubation. MeHg levels were sensitive to sulfate concentrations; a medium sulfate level (0.11. mg/g) produced higher levels than treatments lacking sulfate addition or when amended with 0.55. mg/g. Assessment of bacterial levels by PCR measurements of microbial DNA indicated that the MeHg levels were correlated with cell growth.

AB - Methylmercury (MeHg) is the most poisonous form of mercury (Hg) and it enters the human body primarily through consumption of Hg contaminated fish. Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are major producers of MeHg in anoxic sediments. The dsrAB gene was isolated from freshwater fish pond sediments. Sequence analyses showed that the SRB in sediments was mainly composed of Desulfobulbus propionicus and Desulfovibrio vulgaris. The two species of SRB were cultured from freshwater sediments. The addition of inorganic Hg to these freshwater sediments caused an increase in MeHg concentrations at 30. days incubation. MeHg levels were sensitive to sulfate concentrations; a medium sulfate level (0.11. mg/g) produced higher levels than treatments lacking sulfate addition or when amended with 0.55. mg/g. Assessment of bacterial levels by PCR measurements of microbial DNA indicated that the MeHg levels were correlated with cell growth.

KW - DNA quantification

KW - Methylmercury

KW - Sulfate amendment

KW - Sulfate reducing bacteria

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EP - 336

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

ER -

Effects of sulfate reducing bacteria and sulfate concentrations on mercury methylation in freshwater sediments

Abstract

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