Degradation of 2-bromobenzoic acid by a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa producing 2-bromobenzoic acid, designated 2-BBZA, was isolated by enrichment culture from municipal sewage. It degraded all four 2-halobenzoates as well as certain 3-halo- and dihalobenzoates, though none of the 4-halobenzoates supported growth of this organism. 3-Hydroxybenzoate and 3-chlorocatechol were respective inhibitors of salicylate and catechol oxidation: when each was added separately to resting cells incubated with 2-bromobenzoate, salicylate and catechol were found. Oxygen uptake data suggest that the same dehalogenase may be involved in the oxidation of 2-bromo-, 2-chloro-, and 2-iodobenzoates.