Biodegradation of the neonicotinoid insecticide Acetamiprid by bacterium Pigmentiphaga sp. strain AAP-1 isolated from soil

The Acetamiprid-degrading bacterium AAP-1 was isolated from contaminated soil, and identified as Pigmentiphaga sp. combined traditionary categorization method with modern molecule method. The strain could utilize Acetamiprid as the sole carbon, nitrogen and energy source for growth and metabolized 100 mg L−1 Acetamiprid within 2.5 h. During the degradation of Acetamiprid, one N-deacetylation metabolite, was characterized by FT-IR, GC–MS and NMR analysis. A novel microbial biodegradation pathway for Acetamiprid was proposed on the basis of the metabolite. Compared with uninoculated soils, the addition of the AAP-1 strain into soils treated with Acetamiprid gained a higher degradation rate, and the bacteria community analysis by T-RFLP in contaminated soil recovered after inoculation of the AAP-1 strain. On the basis of these results, strain AAP-1 has the potential to be used in the bioremediation of Acetamiprid-contaminated environments. This is the first report of Acetamiprid-degrading isolate from the genus of Pigmentiphaga.