HEAVY METALS AND ITS POLLUTION LEADING TO RESISTANCE IN BACTERIA OF SURFACE WATERS: A REVIEWRICHA BHARDWAJ AND VIGIL WILSONAbstract The pollution caused by indiscriminate discharge of heavy metals into the surface waters from various sources has serious ecological implications. The surface waters also harbor various seemingly harmless microbiological population that turn out to be pollution disaster owing to the exposure to such metals that render them resistant in due course of time. Such resistant strains with altered metabolic capabilities can neither be considered as ecologically viable indicator of a healthy ecosystem nor be controlled easily in case of pandemics. In view of the above, the knowledge of heavy metals and the mechanisms by which bacteria develop resistance towards them especially in context of surface waters has been reviewed helping us conclude the immediate problem in hand as well as the measures needs to be taken to manage it. |