Isolation and Characterisation of Triclosan-Degrading Bacteria from Versova Creek

Among biocides, Triclosan (TCS) is a broadspectrum antimicrobial agent that is widely found in consumer care and medical products. Due to the partial removal of TCS from wastewater treatment plants, it is constantly released into water bodies and widely detected in different aquatic environments. Upon entering the environment, it impacts a wide range of organisms. The remediation of this emerging pollutant has gained attention in recent times. The current study aims to screen and characterize the TCS-degrading bacteria from Versova Creek of Mumbai, India. A total of 15 (water and sediment each) samples for the screening of TCS-tolerant bacteria were collected from three different sampling stations, viz, Versova Jetty, Effluent Release Point from Sewage Treatment Plant, Lokhandwala, and Malad Creek. In the screening study, a total of seven bacteria were identified, namely Vibrio vulnificus, Streptococcus thoraltensis, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Vibrio alginolyticus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa from water samples, Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas stutzeri from soil sediment samples. Among the isolated bacteria, V. vulnificus, P. stutzeri, V. alginolyticus, P. aeruginosa, and P. putida were able to tolerate as well as degrade TCS by utilizing the compound as a carbon source. However, the isolated bacteria S. thoraltensis was only tolerant towards TCS. The present study has identified potential bacteria capable of bioremediating TCS from wastewater. Among all the bacteria, P. putida is the only bacterium that is non-pathogenic and capable of degrading TCS. Moreover, P. putida is commonly found in wastewater. Thus, the present study suggests that this bacterium could be used as a good candidate organism for the bioremediation of TCS in WWTPs.