Abstract
Uranium contaminated sites harbor viable and metabolically active microorganisms, capable of interacting with uranium and
impacting its distribution. This study wants to contribute to a better understanding of the microbe-uranium interactions in the
Urgeiriça mine (Portugal) by enumerating, identifying and characterizing U resistant strains. Rhodanobacter genus included a
major group of U (VI) resistant isolates up to 2 mM U (VI). The analysis suggests that different species belonging to this genus
have different resistance profiles. The recovery of these bacteria as a major group of isolates indicate that these microorganisms
might have an important ecological role in these environments.