Microbial cleavage of various organophosphorus insecticides

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Abstract
Bacteria able to utilize Aspon, Azodrin, Dasanit, diazinon, malathion, Orthene, parathion, Trithion, dimethoate, Dylox, methyl parathion and Vapona as sole P sources were isolated from soil and sewage. Individual isolates used from 3-10 of these insecticides as sole P sources. The extent of growth of 2 Pseudomonas strains in media containing diazinon and malathion was in the range expected from the amount of insecticide supplied, and their proliferation resulted in disappearance of the chemical. Resting cells of the pseudomonads derived from cultures grown on diazinon or malathion but not Pi caused extensive destruction of these 2 organophosphates in the presence or absence of chloramphenicol. Extracts of the 2 bacteria derived from organophosphate-grown cultures catalyzed the disappearance of Aspon, Azodrin, Dasanit, diazinon, malathion, Orthene, parathion and Trithion but not dimethoate, Dylox, methyl parathion and Vapona. Results from gas chromatographic analysis suggested that the extracts formed dimethyl phosphate from azodrin, dimethyl phosphorodithioate from malathion, diethyl phosphorodithioate from Trithion, and diethyl phosphorothioate from Dasanit, diazinon and parathion. Dimethyl phosphate, dimethyl phosphorothioate, dimethyl phosphorodithioate, diethyl phosphate and diethyl phosphorothioate were not used by the pseudomonads as sole P sources.