Arsenic toxicity is not due to a direct effect on the oxidation of reduced inorganic sulfur compounds byThiobacillus caldus

• Thiobacillus caldus is a moderately thermophilic acidophile which has been implicated in the biooxidation of arsenic containing mineral sulfides. The toxic effects of arsenic on this bacterium are presented here. Addition of arsenite to a growing culture of T. caldus caused a transient increase in the optical density of the culture while causing a simultaneous decrease in cell viability. The increase in optical density was shown to be due to the formation of extracellular sulfur. The oxidation rates of tetrathionate and thiosulfate were decreased by increasing concentrations of arsenite, while in a culture induced to arsenic resistance the rates were not as adversely effected. Sulfur oxidation was also inhibited to the same extent as tetrathionate oxidation, with the oxidation of solid sulfur being slightly more effected than the oxidation of sulfur dissolved in acetone. Thus, bactericidal arsenite causes a transient formation of extracellular sulfur in the culture supernatant of T. caldus yet the toxicity of arsenite is not due to direct inhibitory effects on reduced inorganic sulfur compound oxidation by these bacteria.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Mikrobiologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Microbiology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Thiobacillus caldus

moderate thermophile

acidophile

arsenic

toxicity

sulfur metabolism

arsenopyrite

ferrooxidans

tolerance

Mikrobiologi

Microbiology

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)