Fluoroacetate-metabolizing pseudomonad isolated from Dichapetalum cymosum

Abstract

A pseudomonad was isolated from the fluoroacetate-producing plant Dichapetalum cymosum (Hook) Engl. and identified as Pseudomonas cepacia. We established that this isolate was capable of growing in fluoroacetate-enriched solutions without any reduction in growth rate. Our isolate of P. cepacia was capable of defluorinating 2.69 mg of fluoroacetate per 109 cells per h. Fluoroacetate was degraded to CO2 at a rate of 23.53 ng/109 cells per h.