Isolation of Brazilian marine fungi capable of growing on DDD pesticide

Abstract

The fungi Aspergillus sydowii Ce15, Aspergillus sydowii Ce19, Aspergillus sydowii Gc12, Bionectria sp. Ce5, Penicillium miczynskii Gc5, Penicillium raistrickii Ce16 and Trichoderma sp. Gc1, isolated from marine sponges Geodia corticostylifera and Chelonaplysylla erecta, were evaluated for their ability to grow in the presence of DDD pesticide. Increasing concentrations of DDD pesticide, i.e., 5.0 mg (1.56 × 10⁻¹² mmol), 10.0 mg (3.12 × 10⁻²) mmol) and 15.0 mg (4.68 × 10⁻² mmol) in solid and liquid culture media were tested. The fungi Trichoderma sp. Gc1 and Penicillium miczynskii Gc5 were able to grow in the presence of up to 15.0 mg of DDD, suggesting their potential for biodegradation. A 100% degradation of DDD was attained in liquid culture medium when Trichoderma sp. Gc1 was previously cultivated for 5 days and supplemented with 5.0 mg of DDD in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. However, the quantitative analysis showed that DDD was accumulated on mycelium and biodegradation level reached a maximum value of 58% after 14 days.

Microbial degradation of pesticide: A review

“…Studies with fungi have also evidenced the biodegradation of organochlorine pesticides. Ortega et al (2011) evaluated marine fungi collected off the coast of São Sebastião, North of São Paulo State, Brazil for the biodegradation of organochlorine. The fungi strains were obtained from marine sponges.…”

Biodegradation of the Organophosphate Pesticide Profenofos by Marine Fungi

“…A previous study conducted by us showed that the pesticide DDD was accumulated in the mycelium of the marine fungus Trichoderma sp. CBMAI 932 (Ortega et al, 2011). The higher concentration of profenofos in the mycelium could be explained by an intracelullar enzyme degrading profenofos.…”

Biodegradation of Pesticides

“…Studies with fungi have also evidenced the biodegradation of organochlorine pesticides. Ortega et al (2011) evaluated marine fungi collected off the coast of São Sebastião, North of São Paulo State, Brazil. The fungi strains were obtained from marine sponges.…”

“…For further experiments Trichoderma sp. was selected as the standard microorganism, as it showed the best resistance to DDD in both solid and liquid medium (Ortega et al, 2011). In the experiments where DDD pesticide was concomitantly added into the growth of Trichoderma sp., 21% of the pesticide was degraded.…”

“…In the experiments where DDD was added after 5 days of Trichoderma sp. growth, and with the addition of H 2 O 2 , the total biodegradation occurred (Ortega et al, 2011 Studies involving the biodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), used as a pesticide extender, have also been conducted, several isolated microorganisms have been proven to be capable of aerobically degrade PCBs, preferentially degrading the more lightly chlorinated congeners. These organisms attack PCBs via 2,3-dioxygenase pathway, converting PCBs to the corresponding chlorobenzoic acids.…”