Isolation and characterization of 3,4-dichloroaniline degrading bacteria

Chloroanilines are widely used in the production of dyes, drugs and herbicides. Chloroanilines, however, are considered potential pollutants due to their toxic and recalcitrant properties to humans and other species. With the increase of necessity of bioremediation, this study was conducted to isolate the chloroanilines-degrading bacteria. A bacterium capable of growth on 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA) was isolated by the 3,4-DCA-containing enrichment culture. The strain KB35B was identified as Pseudomonas sp. and also able to degrade several chloroanilines. The isolated strain showed high level of catechol 2,3-dioxygenase activity in the presence of 3,4-DCA. The activity of catechol 2,3-dioxygenase was supposed to be ones of the important factors for 3,4-DCA degradation. The activity toward 4-methylcatechol was 60.6% of that of catechol, while the activity toward 3-methylcatechol and 4-chlorocatechol were 27.0 and 13.5%, respectively.