Environment & Mycoremediation

·

Study

Fungus and Bacterium Team Up to Clean Toxic Soil

Fungus and Bacterium Team Up to Clean Toxic Soil

Arthrinium

What they found

A fungus degraded 78.8% of benzo[a]pyrene in 14 days, and pairing it with a bacterium cleaned contaminated soil even better.

A fungus degraded 78.8% of benzo[a]pyrene in 14 days, and pairing it with a bacterium cleaned contaminated soil even better.

The number

degraded 78.8% of benzo[a]pyrene after 14 days

How solid is it?

Field study

Field study

Field/ecology

Field/ecology

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Arthrinium acutiapicum, Pseudomonas nicosulfuronedens

Arthrinium acutiapicum, Pseudomonas nicosulfuronedens

Published in

Environmental Research

Environmental Research

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Pollution Cleanup Teamwork

Pollution Cleanup Teamwork

The fungus Arthrinium acutiapicum DL-5 degraded 78.8% of benzo[a]pyrene after 14 days, while the bacterium Pseudomonas nicosulfuronedens DY-8 degraded 72.5% on its own. Used together in contaminated soil, the fungal-bacterial pairing reduced leftover benzo[a]pyrene even further by boosting pollutant-degrading genes and helping native microbes break down toxic metabolites. This shows how fungi can act less like solo cleanup crews and more like ecosystem engineers, making bacterial pollution removal stronger in real soil.

The fungus Arthrinium acutiapicum DL-5 degraded 78.8% of benzo[a]pyrene after 14 days, while the bacterium Pseudomonas nicosulfuronedens DY-8 degraded 72.5% on its own. Used together in contaminated soil, the fungal-bacterial pairing reduced leftover benzo[a]pyrene even further by boosting pollutant-degrading genes and helping native microbes break down toxic metabolites. This shows how fungi can act less like solo cleanup crews and more like ecosystem engineers, making bacterial pollution removal stronger in real soil.

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