title: Isolation and identification of cobalt- and caesium-resistant bacteria from a nuclear fuel storage pond.
abstract: One of the issues facing the nuclear power industry is how to store spent nuclear fuel which is contaminated with radionuclides produced during nuclear fission, including caesium ((134)Cs(+), (135)Cs(+) and (137)Cs(+)) and cobalt ((60)Co(2+)). In this study, we have isolated Co(2+)- and Cs(+)-resistant bacteria from water collected from a nuclear fuel storage pond. The most resistant Cs(+) and Co(2+) isolates grew in the presence of 500 mM CsCl and 3 mM CoCl2. Strain Cs67-2 is resistant to fourfold more Cs(+) than Cupriavidus metallidurans str. CH34 making it the most Cs(+)-resistant strain identified to date. The Cs(+)-resistant isolates were closely related to bacteria in the Serratia and Yersinia genera, while the Co(2+)-resistant isolates were closely related to the Curvibacter and Tardiphaga genera. These new isolates could be used for bioremediation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: Thomas H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Osborne
authors.forename: Joanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Santini
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002586:Cesium / Q000378:metabolism*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003035:Cobalt / Q000378:metabolism*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D061005:Ponds / Q000382:microbiology*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D011850:Radioactive Waste; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D011850:Radioactive Waste; D002586:Cesium; D003035:Cobalt
keywords: caesium; cobalt; radionuclide; resistance