Analysis of s-triazine-degrading microbial communities in soils using most-probable-number enumeration and tetrazolium-salt detection.
A simple and sensitive method for the detection and enumeration of microbial s-triazine-degrading microorganisms in soil was designed. The procedure is based on the ability of some microbes to use s-triazines, such as simazine, atrazine, and cyanuric acid, as sole nitrogen source. It employs the respiration indicator 2,3,5-triphenyl-2H-tetrazolium chloride (TTC) to detect metabolic activity and the most-probable-number (MPN) enumeration in microtiter plates. The method was used to identify simazine- and cyanuric acid-degrading activities in agricultural soils treated with the herbicide simazine. The MPN-TTC method showed that the number of simazine- and cyanuric acid-degrading microorganisms increased four weeks after the herbicide simazine had been applied.
Dinamarca
M Alejandro
MA
Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Environmental Biotechnology, Department of Chemistry & Millennium Nucleus of Microbial Ecology and Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Technical University Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile.
Cereceda-Balic
Francisco
F
Fadic
Ximena
X
Seeger
Michael
M
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D017753:Ecosystem; D006540:Herbicides / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts / Q000378:metabolism*; D014227:Triazines / Q000378:metabolism*
D006540:Herbicides; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D014227:Triazines; C009591:triphenyltetrazolium