ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Heavy Metal Tolerance of Fungus Isolated
from Soil Contaminated with Sewage
and Industrial Wastewater
Shazia Iram, Ayesha Zaman, Zaiba Iqbal, Rabia Shabbir
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Department of Environmental Sciences, Fatima Jinnah Women’s University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2013;22(3):691-697
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ABSTRACT
Fungi, including Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium solani, and Penicillium chrysogenum,
resistant to heavy metals like Cr and Pb were isolated after screening soil samples from peri-urban agricultural
areas. The objective of soil sample screening was to investigate the status of heavy metals and to identify
the heavy metal-tolerant fungi. The results revealed that the majority of the isolates were resistant to Pb and
Cr, and only few of them were able to grow. Among the isolated fungal strains, Aspergillus niger was the most
tolerant against Pb, with MIC of 600 mg/l, and Aspergillus flavus against Cr, with MIC of 400 mg/l, which
makes them attractive potential candidates as bioremediation agents.