Carbon source type can affect tetracycline removal by Pseudomonas sp. TC952 through regulation of extracellular polymeric substances composition and production.

The objective of this work is to elucidate the mechanism of tetracycline (TC) removal by Pseudomonas sp. TC952. The TC removal characteristics of strain TC952 under various environmental conditions were studied. Results showed that the bio-removal efficiency was significantly affected by initial TC and peptone concentration, pH values, divalent metal ion (Zn) and carbon source, and the strain TC952 efficiently removed approximately 72.8% of TC within 6 days with 10 g/L peptone. The best conditions for strain TC952 to remove TC are as follows: initial TC concentration is 50 mg/L, solution initial pH is 7, Zn concentration is 0.1 μg/L, carbon source is peptone. And through intra- and extracellular fractions assay and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) component analysis, TC removal by strain TC952 was mainly attributed to the adsorption by bacterial EPS and bacterial cell. Furthermore, different carbon source affected the EPS production content and component of strain TC952, so EPS produced under peptone and serine conditions could bio-adsorb TC and formed a buffer area outside the cells, thus reducing or preventing TC from entering the bacteria cells. All the results obtained showed that secretion of EPS and adsorption of TC by EPS and bacterial cell wall may be a common way for bacteria to reduce TC in the environment, which brought novel insights for better management of TC contamination by functional bacteria and for understanding the natural removal process of antibiotics by microorganisms in the environment.