Collaborative Research: Microbal Reductive Dechlorination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Estuarine and Marine Coastal Sediments.

摘要

For many years researchers have tried to identify and monitor PCB dechlorinating bacteria. Strains o-17 and DF-1 are the first PCB dechlorinating bacteria to be identified. These organisms have proven to be very difficult to grow in pure culture thus far. However, for the first time molecular approaches (165 rDNA analysis) has ben combined with enrichment culture technique to identify these organisms. This is a significant breakthrough that will advance the application of bioremediation and it proves that such an approach can be used to identify difficult to culture environmental microorganisms, which is to say most microorganisms. Now for the first time these organisms can be monitored in order to better understand their physiology and to track the organisms in situ, before, during and after active and passive remediation attempts.