Degradation of Pyrethroid Optical Isomers by Soil Microorganisms

Abstract

Degradation of cypermethrin (I) and fenvalerate (II) isomers by isolated soil bacteria was examined. Two out of 103 bacterial strains showed little metabolic activity, but the remaining strains all degraded I and II isomers with high substrate specificity. The (1R, trans, aS), (1R, cis, aS)and (15, trans, clS) isomers of I were degraded faster than the other five isomers of I, and the (2R,