Microorganisms And Environmental Pollution

The term "Environment" is demarcated as our surroundings which comprises the abiotic component and biotic component round us. The abiotic environment contains water, air and soil while the biotic environment consists of all living organisms, namely, plants, animals and microorganisms. Environmental pollution generally denotes to the presence of undesirable substances in the environment that are harmful to the living organisms. Due to man, in the last two decades there has been a momentous upsurge in the echelons of environmental pollution. With the prompt increase in cases of cancer and infections instigated by antibiotic resistant microorganisms, the healthcare structure was left washed-out of mavens able to bring about the state of affairs.

The chemical nature of xenobiotics is very important because it was found out that the presence of halogens e.g. in aromatic compounds inhibits biodegradation. The water soluble compounds are more easily degradable whereas the presence of cyclic ring structure and the length chains or branches decrease the efficiency of biodegradation. The aliphatic compounds are more easily degraded than the aromatic

Such spills have a direct impact on marine organisms. To counter this problem, scientists have now developed living organisms to clean up the oil spills. The most common oil-eating microorganisms are bacteria and fungi.

Designer Bugs:

More than hundred thousand (one lakh) different chemical compounds are produced in the world every year. While some of these chemicals are biodegradable, others like chlorinated compounds are resistant to microbial degradation.

To tackle these Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), scientists have now isolated a number of PCB-degrading bacterial (Pseudomonas pseudoalkali) genes KF 707. A whole class of genes, referred to as bph-making enzymes, has also been isolated. These enzymes are responsible for the degradation of PCBs.

Other genetically engineered bacteria are also degrading different ranges of chlorinated compounds. For instance, an anaerobic bacterial strain Desulfitlobacterium sp. Y51 dechlorinates PCE (Poly chloroethylene) to cw-12-dichloroethylene (cDCE), at concentrations ranging from 01 – 160 ppm.