Letter abstract
Nature Nanotechnology 3, 347 - 351 (2008)
Published online: 11 May 2008 | doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.109
Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Structural properties
Impact of carbon nanotubes on the ingestion and digestion of bacteria by ciliated protozoa
Parnian Ghafari1, Christine H. St-Denis2, Mary E. Power2, Xu Jin1, Veronica Tsou1, Himadri S. Mandal1, Niels C. Bols2 & Xiaowu (Shirley) Tang1
Abstract
Research on the toxicity of carbon nanotubes has focused on human health risks1, and little is known about their impact on natural ecosystems2. The ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila has been widely studied3, 4 by ecotoxicologists because of its role in the regulation of microbial populations through the ingestion and digestion of bacteria5, 6, 7, and because it is an important organism in wastewater treatment and an indicator of sewage effluent quality8. Here we show that single-walled carbon nanotubes are internalized by T. thermophila, possibly allowing the nanotubes to move up the food chain. The internalization also causes the protozoa to aggregate, which impedes their ability to ingest and digest their prey bacteria species, although it might also be possible to use nanotubes to improve the efficiency of wastewater treatment8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
Correspondence to: Xiaowu (Shirley) Tang1 tangxw@uwaterloo.ca
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