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Cupriavidus metallidurans

Cupriavidus metallidurans is a non-spore-forming, Gram-negative bacterium which is adapted to survive several forms of heavy metal stress.^[3][4][5]

Cupriavidus metallidurans is a bacterial species that belongs to the same family as Ralstonia solanacearum, a plant pathogen.^[6]

This species is of ecological and industrial importance, as its relatives dominate mesophilic environments contaminated with heavy metals.^[2][7] C. metallidurans is used in the industrial sector for both heavy metal remediation and sensing.^[4]

This aerobic chemolithoautotroph is capable of growing in a mineral salts environment with H₂, O₂, and CO₂ without an organic carbon source.^[8] Its energy-providing subsystem is composed of only the hydrogenase, the respiratory chain, and the F1F0-ATPase, which remain separate from the anabolic subsystems.

C. metallidurans can also degrade xenobiotics in conditions with high levels of heavy metals.^[9]

Strain CH34 has adapted to these harsh conditions through multiple heavy-metal resistance systems, encoded by the two indigenous megaplasmids, pMOL28 and pMOL30, on its chromosome(s).^[3][4][10]

C. metallidurans plays a vital role, together with Delftia acidovorans, in the formation of gold nuggets. It precipitates metallic gold from a solution of gold(III) chloride, a compound highly toxic to most other microorganisms.^[11][12][13]

A case of a 74 year old man infected with Cupriavidus metallidurans has been documented,^[14] possibly raising concerns about the safety of using the bacteria for industrial purposes.

• Article at Live Science
• Type strain of Cupriavidus metallidurans at BacDive - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase