Nitrofurantoin—Microbial Degradation and Interactions with Environmental Bacterial Strains

Abstract

The continuous exposure of living organisms and microorganisms to antibiotics that have increasingly been found in various environmental compartments may be perilous. One group of antibacterial agents that have an environmental impact that has been very scarcely studied is nitrofuran derivatives. Their representative is nitrofurantoin (NFT)—a synthetic, broad-spectrum antibiotic that is often overdosed. The main aims of the study were to: (a) isolate and characterize new microbial strains that are able to grow in the presence of NFT, (b) investigate the ability of isolates to decompose NFT, and (c) study the impact of NFT on microbial cell properties. As a result, five microbial species were isolated. A 24-h contact of bacteria with NFT provoked modifications in microbial cell properties. The greatest differences were observed in Sphingobacterium thalpophilum P3d, in which a decrease in both total and inner membrane permeability (from 86.7% to 48.3% and from 0.49 to 0.42 µM min−1) as well as an increase in cell surface hydrophobicity (from 28.3% to 39.7%) were observed. Nitrofurantoin removal by selected microbial cultures ranged from 50% to 90% in 28 days, depending on the bacterial strain. Although the isolates were able to decompose the pharmaceutical, its presence significantly affected the bacterial cells. Hence, the environmental impact of NFT should be investigated to a greater extent.

Nitrofurazone Removal from Water Enhanced by Coupling Photocatalysis and Biodegradation

“…Similar observations were made in our study. Moreover, our previous research showed that the presence of another 5-nitrofuran derivative, nitrofurantoin, contributed to a decrease in the cell metabolic activity of newly isolated environmental bacterial strains [ 27 ].…”

“…The issues of bioavailability and changes in cell surface properties induced by contact with nitrofuran-derived antibiotics have not yet been analyzed in detail. We noticed in our previous research that contact with nitrofurantoin led to a decrease in Congo red adsorption on Sphingomonas paucimobilis and Rhizobium radiobacter [ 27 ]. However, in the case of Sphingobacterium thalpophilum cells, an increase in the tested parameter was noticed.…”

“…The used bacterial strain, which was proved capable of degrading NFZ, was isolated from samples collected aseptically from a wastewater treatment plant in Poznań, Poland, analogically as described by Pacholak et al [ 27 ]. Genetic identification based on comparing the 16S RNA sequences allowed the determination of its taxonomic affiliation.…”

Evaluating the Effect of Azole Antifungal Agents on the Stress Response and Nanomechanical Surface Properties of Ochrobactrum anthropi Aspcl2.2

“…Activated sludge was collected aseptically from the urban wastewater treatment plant in Poland (52°25′53.1″ N, 16°57′31.8″ E) and used for bacterial strains isolation. The isolation process was carried out as described previously with the mixture of Fl, Ep, Cb and Cl used as a selective agent [ 55 ]. The isolated bacterial strain that was able to grow in the presence of azole derivatives was identified using biochemical (Vitek ® 2 system, bioMérieux, Warsaw, Poland) and molecular techniques as O. anthropi AspCl 2.2 (GenBank: MK503652.1) [ 56 ].…”

“…Next, a loop full of cells was introduced to a nutrient broth and the bacteria were allowed to grow overnight at 30 °C with shaking (120 rpm, KS 400 ic control, IKA Werke, GmbH, Staufen, Germany). The bacterial suspension obtained was washed three times (4000× g , 10 min, Centrifuge 5910R, Eppendorf, Germany) with sterile mineral salt medium (MSM, composition as in [ 55 ]). In the final stage, the cell pellet was resuspended in MSM to adjust optical density to 1.0 ± 0.1 at λ = 600 nm (Multiskan Sky, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA).…”