The effect of heavy metals on strains of the genus Enterococcus

Heavy metals are widespread pollutants of natural water, where they end up because of almost constant use in agriculture and due to the discharge of industrial wastewater: primarily lead, cadmium and copper. On the other hand, heavy metals such as copper and zinc are known to be cofactors in many cellular processes and are required for cell survival in small concentrations. At the same time, such a heavy metal as cadmium does not function as a cofactor in the bacterial cell and has a toxic nature, disrupting cellular processes and causing cell death if the concentration exceeds a certain threshold. Thus, the sensitivity of enterococci to heavy metals is a property that characterizes the dynamics of anthropogenic load on the microbiocenosis of both freshwater and marine aquatic ecosystems. The aim of this investigation is to study the effect of heavy metals on strains of the genus Enterococcus isolated from the aquatic environment.