Screening and molecular identification of heavy metal resistant Pseudomonas putida S4 in tannery effluent wastewater

Heavy metal contamination is a serious environmental and ecological problem faced by most of the developing countries including India. The quality of soil and water is highly polluted due to heavy metal pollution therefore, the removal or remediation of heavy metals from the contaminated site has become compulsory. In the current trend, biotechnology provides an opportunity in the removal of heavy metals from a polluted site using microorganisms and microbial products. These technologies provide an alternative and cost-efficient compared to conventional methods. The present study deals with isolation, molecular characterization of heavy metal resistant (Lead [Pb], Chromium [Cr], Silver [Ag], Copper [Co] & Magnesium [Mg]) bacteria from tannery effluent wastewater collected from Vaniyambadi, Tamilnadu. Two isolates were selected based on high level of massive metal resistance. These isolates showed high resistance to heavy metals of lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) with minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 800 mg/L to 1800 mg/L. Among this two bacterium isolates LSV (Loyola Savariar Vincent) S4 showed multiple tolerance to various heavy metals. Furthermore, the isolate LSV S4 was susceptible and sensitive to tested antibiotics. The growth kinetics of isolate LSV S4 compared to the control was increased in presence of different heavy metals at regular time intervals. From the basis of morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA characterization the most potent isolate of LSV S4 was identified as Pseudomonas putida S4. The results clearly showed that the novel strain has been effective and highly useful for the bioremediation of heavy metal contaminated environment.