Adaptation to Cadmium by Klebsiella aerogenes Growing in Continuous Culture Proceeds Mainly via Formation of Cadmium Sulfide.

The adaptation of Klebsiella aerogenes to high levels of cadmium was studied in continuous culture under conditions of glucose limitation. When up to 6 x 10 M cadmium was added to a culture in steady state, growth ceased instantaneously but resumed within 5 h (dilution rate, 0.1 h). When again in steady state, these adapted cells exhibited a far greater tolerance to cadmium than did unadapted cells (not previously exposed to cadmium) when tested on solid media containing different concentrations of cadmium. This relative insensitivity of adapted cells to cadmium was subsequently lost in continuous culture within 5 days after omitting cadmium from the influent medium. Thus, the phenomenon was an inducible physiological process. Adapted cells contained substantial amounts of cadmium (up to 2.4% of the bacterial dry weight). The cadmium content of the cells was dependent on growth conditions and was found to be proportional to the inorganic sulfide content of the cells in all cases. This suggested that formation of CdS is probably the most important mechanism of detoxification in this organism. The presence of large numbers of electron-dense granules on the cell surface (absent in cultures without added cadmium) provided additional support for this conclusion.