Bacteria Given Competitive Advantage to Fight Pollutants

Researchers often stimulate the growth of bacteria that live in aquifers to make them more effective in breaking down targeted pollutants. But another approach that uses non-native organisms to clean up underground water supplies has important advantages. Unlike native organisms, introduced organisms can be studied extensively and understood in the laboratory. This improves prospects for controlling their activity in the field.

When bacteria are introduced into soil or water to break down contaminants, they don't always compete well against better adapted native organisms. To survive, the invaders may need a "niche adjustment"--a modification of the environment that favors their survival. Researchers at the Great Lakes & Mid-Atlantic HSRC have created just such a protective niche for a bacterium that rapidly degrades carbon tetrachloride, a suspected carcinogen, into harmless compounds.

For further information, contact:
Dr. Craig Criddle
Associate Professor
Environmental Engineering and Science
Stanford University
(650) 723-9032
E-mail: criddle@cive.stanford.edu