ANAEROBIC DECHLORINATING BACTERIA

Anaerobic dehalogenation is attracting great interest since it opens n ew research horizons based on the novel biochemical mechanisms identif ied in this field such as halorespiration, i.e. the utilization of hal ogenated compounds as electron accepters. Moreover, anaerobic bacteria seem to be more efficient than their aerobic counterparts in removing halogen atoms from polyhalogenated compounds. Thus, anaerobic dehalog enation can be considered as a promising means for bioremediation trea tments of persistently polluted environments. In this line, identifica tion of pure strains capable of dehalogenation will give important inf ormation about the diversity of organisms implicated in this process a nd also fundamental explanations of the diverse biochemical mechanisms involved. In light of these considerations, we chose to focus this re view on the physiological descriptions, dechlorination activities, phy logenetic diversity, and potential biotechnological applications of th ese pure anaerobic strains capable of dehalogenation.