Enrichment of an endosulfan-degrading mixed bacterial culture

An endosulfan-degrading mixed bacterial culture was enriched from soil with a history of endosulfan exposure. Enrichment was obtained by using the insecticide as the sole source of sulfur. Chemical hydrolysis was minimized by using strongly buffered culture medium (pH 6.6), and the detergent Tween 80 was included to emulsify the insecticide, thereby increasing the amount of endosulfan in contact with the bacteria. No growth occurred in control cultures in the absence of endosulfan. Degradation of the insecticide occurred concomitant with bacterial growth. The compound was both oxidized and hydrolyzed. The oxidation reaction favored the alpha isomer and produced endosulfate, a terminal pathway product. Hydrolysis involved a novel intermediate, tentatively identified as endosulfan monoaldehyde on the basis of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and chemical derivatization results. The accumulation and decline of metabolites suggest that the parent compound was hydrolyzed to the putative monoaldehyde, thereby releasing the sulfite moiety required for growth. The monoaldehyde was then oxidized to endosulfan hydroxyether and further metabolized to (a) polar product(s). The cytochrome P450 inhibitor, piperonyl butoxide, did not prevent endosulfan oxidation or the formation of other metabolites. These results suggest that this mixed culture is worth investigating as a source of endosulfan-hydrolyzing enzymes for use in enzymatic bioremediation of endosulfan residues.