Biodegradation of Endosulfan by <i>Anabaena</i>.

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.