Biodegradation of the pyrethroid pesticide cyfluthrin by the halophilic bacterium Photobacterium ganghwense isolated from coral reef ecosystem

Abstract

A halophilic bacterial strain T14 isolated from the mucus of coral Acropora sp. was found to be highly effective in degrading the pyrethroid pesticide, cyfluthrin. T14 was identified as Photobacterium ganghwense (GenBank Accession No. MT360254) based on phenotypic and biochemical characteristics as well as by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The pyrethroid degrading efficiency of P. ganghwense T14 strain was examined under different culture conditions. It was observed that P. ganghwense T14 was able to utilise cyfluthrin as a sole carbon source and was found to grow on mineral medium with pesticide concentrations ranging from 10 to 100 mg l-1. Optimal temperature and pH conditions for efficient cyfluthrin degradation by P. ganghwense T14 were determined as 30° C and 8 respectively. Degradation of cyfluthrin by P. ganghwense T14 was quantitated by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Mineral medium supplemented with 100 mg l-1 cyfluthrin and inoculated with P. ganghwense T14 (106 cells ml-1) recorded 92.13% pesticide decomposition within 120 h. Cytotoxicity assay on a fish cell line EM4SpEx derived from the grouper Epinephelus malabaricus, revealed a drastic reduction in cyfluthrin toxicity as evidenced by reduction in the intensity of cell destruction as well as morphological changes when exposed to P. ganghwense T14 treated filtrate, in comparison with that of parent cyfluthrin filtrate. Results of the study clearly indicated potential bioremediative use of P. ganghwense T14 in cyfluthrin contaminated sites.