HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Boyle, M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Boyle, M. Agricola Articles by Boyle, M.

The Environmental Microbiology of Chlorinated Aromatic Decomposition

Microbial Ecology Lab., 40 Oxford St., Harvard Univ. Cambridge, MA 02138.

^* Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

The difficulty in predicting the microbial degradation rates of such xenobiotic chemicals as chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons necessitates that empirical data on decomposition be collected to model the environmental fate and transport of these recalcitrant compounds. A partial list of microorganisms reported to degrade chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons is provided. The processes of degradation, including dehalogenation, cometabolism, and synergistic mineralization, are discussed as they pertain to these halogenated compounds. Adaptation through genetic exchange within a microbial community is addressed through a brief review of the physical-chemical factors required for plasmid transfer in the laboratory. The ecological significance of gene recruitment in response to xenobiotic stress is also considered. Because chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons were rare in the environment until a few decades ago, they provide a unique opportunity to study the evolution of multistep catabolic pathways for the degradation of compounds with novel chemical structures.

Support was provided by a grant CR-812699 to the Interdisciplinary Programs in Health, Harvard School of Public Health by the USEPA. This paper does not necessarily represent the views and policies of the USEPA.

Received for publication August 30, 1988.