Assessment of exposure to heavy metals and health risks among residents near Tonglushan mine in Hubei, China.

Heavy metal contamination due to mining activity is a global major concern because of its potential health risks to local inhabitants. In the present study, we investigated the levels of Cd, Cu, Pb and As in soil, crop, well water and fish samples collected from the vicinity of the Tonglushan mine in Hubei, China, and evaluated potential health risks among local residents. Results indicate that soils near the mine were heavily contaminated with Cd (2.59 mg kg(-1)), Cu (386 mg kg(-1)), Pb (120 mg kg(-1)) and As (35.4 mg kg(-1)), and exceeded the soil quality standard values of Cd and Cu contamination. The concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and As in crop samples grown in mine-affected soils were significantly higher than those of the reference soils. The concentrations of Cd and As in most vegetables grown in mine-affected soils exceeded the maximum allowable level (MAL). The Cd, Pb and As concentration in rice grain collected from mine-affected soils were 2.95, 1.85 and 2.07-fold higher than the MAL, respectively. The concentrations of Cd and As in fish muscle from the mine-affected area were above national MAL in 61% and 34% of analyzed samples, respectively. All measured heavy metals except Pb were significantly greater in well water in the mine-affected area than those in the reference areas. The average estimated daily intakes of Cd and As were beyond the provisional tolerable daily intake, respectively. The intake of rice was identified as a major contributor (⩾72%) to the estimated daily intake among the residents.

High quality genome sequence and description of Enterobacter mori strain 5-4, isolated from a mixture of formation water and crude-oil.

Enterobacter mori strain 5-4 is a Gram-negative, motile, rod shaped, and facultatively anaerobic bacterium, which was isolated from a mixture of formation water (also known as oil-reservior water) and crude-oil in Karamay oilfield, China. To date, there is only one E. mori genome has been sequenced and very little knowledge about the mechanism of E. mori adapted to the petroleum reservoir. Here, we report the second E. mori genome sequence and annotation, together with the description of features for this organism. The 4,621,281 bp assembly genome exhibits a G + C content of 56.24% and contains 4,317 protein-coding and 65 RNA genes, including 5 rRNA genes.

Permanent draft genome sequence of Geobacillus thermocatenulatus strain GS-1.

Geobacillus thermocatenulatus strain GS-1 is a thermophilic bacillus having a growth optimum at 60°C, capable of degrading alkanes. It was isolated from the formation water of a high-temperature deep oil reservoir in Qinghai oilfield, China. Here, we report the draft genome sequence with an estimated assembly size of 3.5Mb. A total of 3371 protein-coding sequences, including monooxygenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, fatty acid-CoA ligase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, enoyl-CoA hydrogenase, hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase and thiolase, were detected in the genome, which are involved in the alkane degradation pathway. Our results may provide insights into the genetic basis of the adaptation of this strain to high-temperature oilfield ecosystems.

Microbacterium petrolearium sp. nov., isolated from an oil-contaminated water sample.

A Gram-staining-positive, rod-shaped, aerobic bacterium, designated strain LAM0410(T), was isolated from an oil-contaminated water sample from the Dagang Oilfield, PR China. The temperature and pH ranges for growth were 4 °C to 50 °C and pH 4.4 to pH 12.0, respectively. The strain did not need NaCl for growth, but could tolerate a concentration of up to 12 % (w/v). Cell wall hydrolysates from the isolate showed that the diamino acid was ornithine. The cell wall sugars contained ribose and galactose. The glycan moiety of the cell wall contained N-glycolyl residues. The major respiratory quinones were MK-10, MK-11 and MK-12. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and nine unknown glycolipids. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the isolate belonged to the genus Microbacterium and was closely related to Microbacterium sediminis MCCC 1A06153(T) and Microbacterium murale DSM 22178(T) with 97.5 % and 97.4 % sequence similarities, respectively; while the DNA-DNA hybridization values were 33.1±3.4 % and 21.8±1.6 %, respectively. The DNA G+C content was 67.4 mol%, as determined by the Tm method. Based on its phenotypic and genotypic properties, strain LAM0410(T) represents a novel species of the genus Microbacterium, for which the name Microbacterium petrolearium sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is LAM0410(T) ( = ACCC 00719(T) = JCM 19612(T)).

Genome sequence of Brevibacillus agri strain 5-2, isolated from the formation water of petroleum reservoir.

Brevibacillus agri strain 5-2 was isolated from the formation water of a deep oil reservoir in Changqing Oilfield, China. This bacterium was found to have a capacity for degrading tetradecane, hexadecane and alkanesulfonate. To gain insights into its efficient metabolic pathway for degrading hydrocarbon and organosulfur compounds, here, we report the high quality draft genome of this strain. Two putative alkane 1-monooxygenases, one putative alkanesulfonate monooxygenase, one putative alkanesulfonate transporter, one putative sulfate permease and five putative sulfate transporters were identified in the draft genome. The genomic data of strain 5-2 may provide insights into the mechanism of microorganisms adapt to the petroleum reservoir after chemical flooding.