Degradation of methylmercury by bacteria isolated from environmental samples

A total of 207 bacterial cultures, isolated from environmental samples, was screened for ability to degrade methylmercury. Of these, 30 were found positive for aerobic demethylation. Twenty-two of these were shown to be facultative anaerobes and 21 of these degraded methylmercury anaerobically. All positive species volatilized methylmercury aerobically, and methane was produced as a degradation product. Although methylmercury degradation was complete in most cases, material balances indicated some of the inorganic mercury formed was not volatilized and is presumed bound to the cells. All positive isolates were tolerant to at least 0.5 mug of methylmercury per ml, and the extent of volatilization of mercury increased with concentration to the threshold value. The results indicate that demethylating species are prevalent in the environment and may be important in suppressing the methylmercury content of sediments.