Index >> Bacterial Structure >> Mercury Resistance Plasmids

Mercury Resistance Plasmids - Some strains of the enteric bacteria, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus aureus have plasmids which enable the host to tolerate otherwise toxic concentrations of heavy metal ions.

Plasmid-coded resistance to mercury has been found in Pseudomonas, and resistance to nickel, cobalt, mercury and arsenate in E. coli and Salmonella.

Bacterial plasmids can also specify conversion of relatively harmless mercury compounds in industrial wastes to harmful neurotoxic organomercurial methyl mercury compounds.