Production of dimethyldiselenide from methaneseleninic acid by soil bacteria

We isolated 23 soil bacterial strains tolerating methaneseleninic acid (MSeA), an oxidized organoselenium metabolite. Among them, Pseudomonas sp. M10 exhibited the highest MSeA tolerance and converted MSeA into volatile dimethyldiselenide, consistent with a redox-driven, nonenzymatic process. This is the first report of bacterially mediated MSeA volatilization, revealing a previously unrecognized microbial contribution to selenium flux between terrestrial and atmospheric compartments.