H. Dewever et al., INHIBITORY EFFECTS OF 2-MERCAPTOBENZOTHIAZOLE ON MICROBIAL-GROWTH IN A VARIETY OF TROPHIC CONDITIONS, Environmental toxicology and chemistry, 16(5), 1997, pp. 843-848
2-Mercaptobenzothiazole (MET) is found mainly in the wastewaters of it
s industrial production as a rubber vulcanization accelerator. Because
this compound was found to be toxic to activated sludges and because
it causes poor process performances, its impact on bacteria in particu
lar was studied. 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole, but not other benzothiazoles
, exerted mainly bacteriostatic effects towards Escherichia coli, Sarc
ina lutea, Staphylococcus aureus, and a 2-hydroxybenzothiazole-degradi
ng isolate (OBT18). It caused membrane disturbance as measured by indu
ced potassium effluxes from the cell. Emphasis was on the effects of M
BT on growth of E. coli on different electron donor-electron acceptor
combinations. Paracoccus denitrificans was grown in the presence of ox
ygen or nitrate and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used under
aerobic and fermentative conditions. In almost all conditions the grow
th was severely inhibited, indicating that MBT might interfere with a
common oxidoreduction step in membrane-bound systems and probably also
interferes with metabolic reactions not related to the respiratory ch
ain.