Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2026

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
Effects of selected pharmaceutically active compounds on the ammonia oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Abstract:
Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) are commonly found in wastewater influent. However, little research has focused on determining their impact on fundamental processes in wastewater treatment such as nitrogen removal. In this study, focus was placed on 4 commonly occurring PhACs (ketoprofen, naproxen, carbamazepine and gemfibrozil). Their effect was ascertained in the ammonia oxidizing bacterium (AOB), Nitrosomonas europaea in terms of membrane integrity and nitrite production. These PhACs were shown to inhibit nitrite production at concentrations of 1 and 10 μM while no effect was observed at 0.1 μM. The maximum observed nitrification inhibition was 25%, 29%, 22% and 26% for ketoprofen, naproxen, carbamazepine and gemfibrozil, respectively. A decrease in the live/dead ratio ranging from 10% to 16% suggests that these PhACs affect membrane integrity in N.europaea. The difference in nitrite production between PhACs treated cells and non PhAC treated controls was still significant following washing suggesting that inhibition is irreversible. Finally, nitrite production when adjusted to the live fraction of cells was also found to decrease suggesting that PhACs inhibited the activity of surviving cells. These results suggest that the presence of PhACs may affect AOB activity and may impact nitrogen removal, a key function in wastewater treatment. Follow up studies with additional AOB and in mixed culture are needed to further confirm these results.
More Related Videos
08:05Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O
Published on: October 7, 2020
07:38A General Method for Detecting Nitrosamide Formation in the In Vitro Metabolism of Nitrosamines by Cytochrome P450s
Published on: September 25, 2017
Related Concept Videos
2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO2
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Microbes and the Nitrogen Cycle
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
Physical Properties of Amines
Preparation of Amines: Reduction of Oximes and Nitro Compounds
Though catalytic hydrogenation can reduce nitrobenzenes, the reduction is nonselective in the presence of other functional groups. For instance, if nitrobenzene contains an aldehyde group,...