Diversity of Estrogen Degrading Microorganisms in Las Vegas Wash and Lake Mead, Nevada, USA

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a subject of intense research as more studies reveal their persistence in the environment and detrimental effects on wildlife. Steroid hormones, including the natural and synthetic estrogens estrone (E1), 17-beta-estradiol (E2) and 17alpha-ethinyl estradiol (EE2), are among the most bioactive and have been detected at low concentrations in waterways downstream from wastewater treatment plants. Las Vegas Wash, a stream flowing into Lake Mead and fed primarily by treated wastewater, provides a unique experimental system in which to study the role microorganisms play in the fate and dispersal of these compounds in surface waters. Diversity of Estrogen Degrading Microorganisms in Las Vegas Wash and Lake Mead, Nevada, USA Susanna Blunt1,2, James C. Bruckner1, Jen C. Fisher1, and Duane P. Moser1 Susanna.Blunt@dri.edu, Duane.Moser@dri.edu Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV1; University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV2