Antimicrobial activity and resistance to heavy metals and antibiotics of heterotrophic bacteria isolated from sediment and soil samples collected from two Antarctic islands

¹This article is dedicated to the memory of Dr Victoria Gesheva.

Figures & data

Figure 1. Map of Deception Island in relation to the South Shetland Islands, showing the location of the sampling site at Whalers Bay.

Figure 2. Map of Galindez Island in relation to the Argentine Islands, showing the location of the sampling site at Vernadsky Research Station.

Table 1. Antibiotic susceptibility of the Antarctic bacteria expressed as zone of inhibition (mm diameter).

		Diameter of inhibition zone (mm)
Isolate code	Closest related species^a	Cp	G	Am	Tb	Nb	L	T	A	C	V	E	Cfz	K
A1-1	Pseudomonas sp.	S(32)	I(20)	S(30)	S(22)	R(–)	R(–)	I(20)	R(–)	R(8)	R(12)	R(–)	R(–)	I(20)
A1-2	Pseudomonas sp.	S(32)	I(20)	S(28)	S(22)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	S(25)
A1-4	Janthinobacterium lividum	S(25)	I(20)	S(26)	S(21)	R(–)	R(–)	R(15)	R(–)	R(10)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	S(25)
A1-7	Pseudomonas migulae	I(20)	R(15)	S(21)	I(17)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	S(23)
A1-8	Pseudomonas sp.	S(40)	S(25)	S(34)	S(30)	R(–)	R(–)	R(10)	R(–)	I(16)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	S(30)
A1-10	Pseudomonas sp.	S(36)	S(25)	S(32)	S(28)	R(–)	R(–)	R(15)	R(–)	R(10)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	S(31)
A1-12	Pseudomonas sp.	S(24)	I(19)	S(26)	I(20)	R(–)	R(–)	I(17)	R(11)	R(14)	S(22)	R(10)	R(10)	S(32)
A1-13	Pseudomonas migulae	S(40)	I(20)	S(28)	S(25)	R(–)	R(–)	S(25)	R(–)	R(11)	R(8)	R(–)	R(–)	S(26)
A1-14	Rhodococcus luteus	S(30)	S(25)	S(35)	S(25)	S(30)	R(–)	S(35)	S(35)	S(25)	S(34)	S(40)	S(35)	S(25)
A1-15	Arthrobacter sp.	S(23)	I(20)	S(30)	I(20)	S(32)	S(40)	S(35)	S(30)	S(50)	S(30)	S(50)	R(–)	S(25)
A1-16	Arthrobacter psychrochitiniphilus	S(30)	S(28)	S(35)	S(22)	S(45)	R(–)	S(40)	S(50)	S(50)	S(40)	I(20)	S(45)	S(30)
A1-17	Arthrobacter livingstonensis	S(26)	S(30)	S(40)	S(24)	S(35)	S(40)	S(30)	S(50)	S(40)	S(30)	S(50)	S(44)	S(30)
A2-1	Pseudomonas sp.	S(38)	I(20)	S(30)	S(30)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	S(25)
A2-2	Pseudomonas sp.	S(40)	S(37)	S(44)	S(40)	R(–)	R(–)	R(15)	R(–)	R(–)	R(15)	R(15)	R(–)	S(30)
A2-3	Sporosarcina sp.	R(–)	S(35)	S(42)	S(36)	S(40)	R(–)	S(40)	S(40)	R(–)	S(38)	R(–)	S(40)	S(40)
A2-4	Bacillus sp.	S(30)	S(37)	S(50)	S(36)	S(55)	I(18)	S(45)	S(50)	S(40)	S(40)	S(50)	S(50)	S(45)
A2-5	Sporosarcina globispora	S(32)	S(40)	S(48)	S(34)	S(46)	S(48)	S(30)	R(12)	R(–)	S(33)	R(15)	R(10)	S(35)
A2-6	Sporosarcina aquimarina	S(34)	S(25)	S(35)	S(24)	S(28)	I(20)	I(20)	R(15)	I(16)	S(28)	I(20)	R(–)	S(32)
A2-7	Pseudomonas sp.	S(46)	S(28)	S(44)	S(30)	R(–)	R(–)	I(20)	R(15)	I(20)	R(–)	I(20)	R(–)	S(25)
A2-8	Pseudomonas putida	S(32)	S(30)	R(8)	S(28)	R(12)	R(10)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)
A2-13	Pseudomonas gessardii	S(25)	I(18)	S(32)	S(22)	R(–)	R(–)	R(10)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	S(25)
A2-15	Pseudomonas fluorescens	S(45)	S(35)	S(45)	S(34)	R(–)	R(–)	S(36)	R(15)	S(25)	R(–)	I(20)	I(20)	S(50)
A2-16	Burkholderia sordidicola	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)	R(–)
A2-17	Sporosarcina aquimarina	S(25)	S(35)	S(48)	S(30)	S(25)	R(11)	S(35)	S(50)	S(50)	S(35)	S(50)	R(–)	S(40)

Note: degree of susceptibility: S = sensitive (≥ 21 mm); I = intermediate (16–20 mm); R = resistant (≤ 15 mm).

^aIdentity of isolates as reported by Tomova et al. (2014).

Figure 3. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of heavy metals against the Antarctic bacteria. (A) A1 isolates; (B) A2 isolates.

Figure 4. Comparison of multimetal resistance of A1 and A2 groups of the Antarctic bacteria. 1 = resistance to two heavy metals; 2 = resistance to three heavy metals; 3 = resistance to four heavy metals; 4 = resistance to five heavy metals; 5 = resistance to six heavy metals.

Table 2. Antimicrobial activity of the Antarctic bacteria expressed as zone of inhibition (mm diameter).

	Inhibition zone (mm)
Isolate code	B. subtilis	B. cereus	M. luteus	S. lutea	A. johnsonii	E. coli	P. aeruginosa	X. oryzae	C. lipolytica	C. davisiana	Cr. terricola	L. muscorum
A1-1	10	15	16	14	10	22	14	14	11	11	22	25
A1-2	26	20	10	14	12	26	10	–	10	25	–	20
A1-4	12	16	–	–	10	11	14	–	10	18	–	9
A1-7	12	20	10	12	12	12	–	–	10	–	14	9
A1-8	9	20	10	14	12	12	16	12	–	13	–	9
A1-10	18	17	16	12	16	–	26	16	–	13	–	–
A1-12	–	–	–	11	14	11	–	–	–	–	–	–
A1-13	12	10	14	9	12	26	22	–	–	–	–	–
A1-14	14	30	–	–	–	–	12	–	9	–	15	12
A1-15	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	16	–	–	15	12
A1-16	26	26	8	–	14	–	16	8	–	27	14	15
A1-17	13	–	12	–	26	–	26	10	15	12	–	20
A2-1	9	–	–	9	11	–	–	12	–	–	–	11
A2-2	12	16	–	–	–	9	–	–	8	9	–	–
A2-3	12	15	–	–	9	9	–	10	11	10	–	11
A2-4	–	10	–	10	16	9	–	9	9	10	–	12
A2-5	9	10	–	–	–	11	–	12	11	9	–	10
A2-6	–	–	–	–	9	11	–	15	11	–	–	13
A2-7	26	–	–	–	9	11	11	10	–	–	–	–
A2-8	12	9	–	12	–	9	–	–	–	–	–	9
A2-13	16	–	14	–	–	8	–	–	–	–	9	20
A2-15	12	12	–	–	12	–	16	10	–	8	–	13
A2-16	12	9	–	–	14	–	–	14	–	–	–	12
A2-17	–	–	–	–	–	–	16	12	–	–	8	8

Note: – = no zone observed.

Tomova I, Gladka G, Tashyrev O, Vasileva-Tonkova E. 2014. Isolation, identification and hydrolytic enzymes production of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria from two Antarctic islands. Int J Environ Sci. 4:614–625.

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