Biodegradation of carbofuran in soils within Nzoia River Basin, Kenya

Carbofuran (2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethylbenzofuran-7-yl methylcarbamate) has been used within the Nzoia River Basin (NRB), especially in Bunyala Rice Irrigation Schemes, in Kenya for the control of pests. In this study, the capacity of native bacteria to degrade carbofuran in soils from NRB was investig...

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Published in:Journal of environmental science and health. Part B, Pesticides, food contaminants, and agricultural wastes Pesticides, food contaminants, and agricultural wastes, 2015-06, Vol.50 (6), p.387-397
Main Authors: Onunga, Daniel O., Kowino, Isaac O., Ngigi, Anastasiah N., Osogo, Aggrey, Orata, Francis, Getenga, Zachary M., Were, Hassan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacillus
Bacillus - genetics
Bacillus - metabolism
Bacillus cereus
Bacillus thurigiensis
Bacillus thuringiensis
Biodegradation
Biodegradation, Environmental
bioremediation
Carbofuran
Carbofuran - chemistry
Carbofuran - metabolism
Environmental Monitoring
Gram-positive bacteria
Insecticides - chemistry
Insecticides - metabolism
Kenya
Pesticides
River basins
Rivers
RNA, Bacterial - genetics
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics
Soil - chemistry
Soil Pollutants - metabolism
Soils
Species Specificity
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Summary:Carbofuran (2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethylbenzofuran-7-yl methylcarbamate) has been used within the Nzoia River Basin (NRB), especially in Bunyala Rice Irrigation Schemes, in Kenya for the control of pests. In this study, the capacity of native bacteria to degrade carbofuran in soils from NRB was investigated. A gram positive, rod-shaped bacteria capable of degrading carbofuran was isolated through liquid cultures with carbofuran as the only carbon and nitrogen source. The isolate degraded 98% of 100-μg mL −1 carbofuran within 10 days with the formation of carbofuran phenol as the only detectable metabolite. The degradation of carbofuran was followed by measuring its residues in liquid cultures using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Physical and morphological characteristics as well as molecular characterization confirmed the bacterial isolate to be a member of Bacillus species. The results indicate that this strain of Bacillus sp. could be considered as Bacillus cereus or Bacillus thuringiensis with a bootstrap value of 100% similar to the 16S rRNA gene sequences. The biodegradation capability of the native strains in this study indicates that they have great potential for application in bioremediation of carbofuran-contaminated soil sites.
ISSN:0360-1234
1532-4109
DOI:10.1080/03601234.2015.1011965