Enhanced removal of triclosan from contaminated water by indigenous isolate Burkholderia sp. L303

Abstract

Triclosan (TCS), one of the most widely used antimicrobial agents, is frequently detected at wastewater treatment plants and environmental matrices including soil, water, sediment, and biota samples. In this study, a TCS-degrading bacterium was isolated from local activated sludge and identified as Burkholderia sp. L303. Strain L303 could degrade TCS (0.5-8 mg/L) as sole carbon source. The optimal condition was 35°C and pH 7. The in-vitro assay with the glucose-enriched cells showed the ability of TCS degradation in real water samples, indicating the functional enzyme expressed in the absence of TCS. The bioaugmentation of strain L303 in non-sterile wastewater showed better degradation rate than that in the control groups. The community profiles showed the potential cooperative interactions between strain L303 and indigenous bacteria, thereby enhancing the TCS degradation in the real polluted water. The finding of this study could facilitate in developing appropriate bioaugmentation strategy by using live bacteria or active enzyme and in designing beneficial community interactions within native and external species for treating TCS-laden waters.