Arsenic resistance in cultured cutaneous microbiota is associated with anuran lifestyles in the Iron Quadrangle, Minas Gerais State, Brazil.

Abstract

The microbiota of the anuran skin contributes significantly to the maintenance and survival of these animals. In the present study, we investigated the composition of culturable microbiota on the skin of frogs from Tripui Ecological Station (TES), a locality in the Brazilian Iron Quadrangle that is naturally contaminated with arsenic. A total of 328 culturable bacterial isolates were obtained from 21 individuals belonging to seven anuran species, captured in different microenvironments within TES. The results indicate that higher numbers of culturable bacterial isolates, as well as higher resistance to arsenic and a higher capacity to produce biofilms, were associated with three frog species that had come into contact with arsenic-contaminated water during their reproductive period. These results raise the possibility that the adaptation of these anurans species to arsenicladen environments may have a direct correlation with a specialized microbiota.