Siderophore Production By Burkholderia Cepacea At Different Cadmium Concentrations

Abstract

Heavy metals are considered one of the most toxic pollutants in the environment as they have harmful effects throughout the food chain, especially Cd, Cr and Hg are relevant due to their persistence and toxicity. There is evidence of the synthesis of siderophores by bacteria when they grow in environments with the presence of toxic heavy metals; therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro the production of siderophores at different concentrations of CdCl2. The bacterial species Bukholderia cepacea, strains of endophytic bacteria from the genomic bank of the microbiological research laboratory of the University of Sucre, isolated from environments contaminated with mercury, were selected. Lead tolerance tests were carried out at different concentrations (100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 ppm), and the capacity of these bacteria to produce siderophores was evaluated. The results obtained indicate that the endophytic strains evaluated produced siderophores at different concentrations of cadmium metal. The results indicate that these endophytic bacteria could contribute to the phytoremediation of plant species adapted to different environments contaminated with lead in the Colombian Caribbean.