METABOLISM OF TOXAPHENE BY AQUATIC SEDIMENT AND A CAMPHOR-DEGRADING PSEUDOMONAD

The metabolism of14C- and36C1-labeled toxaphene (a complex insecticidal mixture of polychlorobornanes, C10H18-NClN, where N=6 to 10) has been studied under aerobic and anaerobic incubation conditions in aquatic sediments, enriched bacterial and washed cell cultures of Pseudomonas putida. An analysis of the production of water soluble metabolites as the major indicator of metabolism, showed that the aerobic route of toxaphene degradation was significant in all incubation conditions, and demonstrated that oxidative metabolism was important in the degradation of toxaphene. The absence of degradative activities in sediment which had been autoclaved prior to incubation and the appearance of metabolites formed during sediment incubation of pure toxicants A, B and C were taken as indicators of metabolism of toxaphene by microorganisms in sediment. © 1979 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.