Biodegradation of Endosulfan by Anabaena

The degradation of endosulfan, by Anabaena sp ATCC 7210 was studied in a selective minimal medium. Anabaena- a cyanobacterirm capable of metabolizing endosulfan was effectively shown to degrade the insecticide to endosulfan hydroxy ether, ether, lactone and diol within three days of incubation. The cyanobacterium degraded endosulfan completely within 48 h of incubation. The degradation of endosulfan to its metabolites was monitored in the medium by comparing authentic chemical standard using gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Endosulfan sulfate was not formed during the metabolism. The metabolites formed indicated that the organism follows a hydrolytic pathway for metabolism of this pesticide. The present study, demonstrate that microbial degradation of endosulfan by Anabaena-a cyanobacterium, may provide a basis for the development of bioremediation strategies to remediate the pollutants in the environment.