ANAEROBIC DEGRADATION OF 2-AMINOBENZOATE (ANTHRANILIC ACID) BY DENITRIFYING BACTERIA

In the presence of O2 many aminoaromatic compounds polymerize to form recalcitrant macromolecules. To circumvent undesirable oxidation reactions, the anaerobic biodegradation of a simple member of this class of compounds was investigated. Two strains of bacteria were isolated which degrade 2-aminobenzoate anaerobically under denitrifying conditions, with nitrate as the terminal electron acceptor. Both organisms, which were assigned to the genus Pseudomonas, oxidized 2-aminobenzoate completely to CO2 and NH4+. Nitrate was reduced to nitrite. When nitrate was depleted from the growth medium the accumulated nitrite was reduced to N2. The results establish a model system for the anaerobic, rapid and complete oxidation of an aminoaromatic compound.