Biodegradation of acephate and methamidophos by a soil bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain Is-6

The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize a new acephate-degrading bacteria from agricultural soil and to investigate its biodegradation ability and pathway of degradation. A bacterial strain Is-6, isolated from agriculture soil could completely degrade and utilize acephate as the sole carbon, phosphorus and energy sources for growth in M9 medium. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence and phenotypic analysis suggested that the strain Is-6 was belonging to the genus Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Strain Is-6 could completely degrade acephate (50mg L-1) and its metabolites within 96h were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electron spray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analyses. When exposed to the higher concentration, the strain Is-6 showed 92% degradation of acephate (1000mg L-1) within 7days of incubation. It could also utilize dimethoate, parathion, methyl parathion, chlorpyrifos and malathion. The inoculation of strain Is-6 (10(7) cells g(-1)) to acephate (50mg Kg(-1))-treated soil resulted in higher degradation rate than in noninoculated soils. These results highlight the potential of this bacterium to be used in the cleanup of contaminated pesticide waste in the environment.