Rapid Biodegradation of Aniline by Frateuria species ANA-18 and Its Aniline Metabolism

A bacterial strain, ANA-18, was isolated from soil, when aniline was provided as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen at pH 5.5. The isolate belongs to a Frateuria species. Frateuria sp. ANA-18 was able to grow on aniline at pH 4.0 to 7.0 and readily degraded it. This bacterium decomposed aniline more rapidly than Rhodococcus erythropolis AN-13 reported previously. Resting cells of aniline-grown Frateuria sp. ANA-18 had 9-fold the oxidizing activity for aniline of those of R. erythropolis AN-13. The metabolic pathway for mineralization of aniline by Frateuria sp. ANA-18 was the same as that proposed for R. erythropolis AN-13.