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Aim:  To isolate and characterize lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and determine whether they could potentially be used as heavy metal (cadmium and lead) absorbing probiotics. Methods and Results:  The study used 53 environmental (mud and sludge) samples to isolate cadmium‐ and lead‐resistant LAB, by following spared plate technique. A total of 255 cadmium‐ and lead‐resistant LAB were isolated from these samples. The survival of 26 of the LAB was found after passing through sequential probiotic characterizations. These 26 probiotic LAB exhibited remarkable variations in their metal‐resistant and metal‐removal abilities. Of 26, seven (Cd54‐2, Cd61‐7, Cd69‐12, Cd70‐13, Pb82‐8, Pb96‐19 and Cd109‐16) and four (Pb71‐1, Pb73‐2, Pb85‐9 and Pb96‐19) strains displayed relatively elevated cadmium‐ and lead‐removal efficiencies from water, respectively, compare with that of the remaining strains. Strains Cd70‐13 and Pb71‐1 showed the highest cadmium (25%) and lead (59%) removal capacity from MRS (De Man, Rogosa and Sharpe) culture medium, respectively, amongst the selected strains and showed a good adhesive ability on fish mucus. A phylogenetic analysis of their 16S rDNA sequences revealed that the strains Cd70‐13 and Pb71‐1 belong to Lactobacillus reuteri. Conclusion:  Excellent probiotic, metal sorption and adhesive characteristics of newly identified Lact. reuteri strains Cd70‐13 and Pb71‐1 were isolated, which indicated their high potential abilities to survive in the intestinal milieu and to uptake the tested metals from the environment. Significance and Impact of the Study:  To our knowledge, this is the first study that has aimed to isolate, characterize and identify metal‐resistant LAB strains that have potential to be a probiotic candidate for food and in vivo challenge studies in the intestinal milieu of fish for the uptake and control of heavy metal bioaccumulation.

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Antibiotic residues in marine sediments of fish farms negatively influence microbial ecologic systems. The microbial degradation of antibiotic residues was experimentally examined in the marine sediments of Uranouchi Bay, to which one of five antibiotics was added. After incubation reducing physical factors, ampicillin, doxycycline, oxytetracycline, and thiamphenicol were significantly degraded, while josamycin maintained most of the initial amounts. The isolates resistant to ampicillin, josamycin, oxytetracycline, or thiamphenicol degraded each antibiotic in wide ranges of degrees, whereas the isolates degrading doxycycline were not obtained. Microbial degradation may contribute to the disappearance of ampicillin, doxycycline, oxytetracycline, and thiamphenicol in the fish farm. In contrast, the disappearance of josamycin would depend on physical factors, but the bacteria degrading josamycin at least exist in the marine sediments. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA sequences demonstrated that the antibiotic-resistant isolates formed several clusters in the Gram-positive bacterial group, the Flavobacterium-Cytophaga-Bacteroides group, and the proteobacteria subdivisions. The antibiotic-resistant bacterial population would be composed of various species including ubiquitous coastal bacterial groups. Several species of antibiotic resistant bacteria show antibiotic degradation activities, and appear to contribute to the disappearance of antibiotics in Uranouchi Bay.KEY WORDS: antibiotic residue, antibiotic-degrading bacteria, fish farm, microflora.

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