Microbial dehalorespiration with 1,1,1-trichloroethane

1,1,1-Trichloroethane (TCA) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant because of its widespread use as an industrial solvent, its improper disposal, and its substantial emission to the atmosphere. We report the isolation of an anaerobic bacterium, strain TCA1, that reductively dechlorinates TCA to 1,1-dichloroethane and chloroethane. Strain TCA1 required H2 as an electron donor and TCA as an electron acceptor for growth, indicating that dechlorination is a respiratory process. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain TCA1 is related to gram-positive bacteria with low DNA G+C content and that its closest relative is Dehalobacter restrictus, an obligate H2-oxidizing, chloroethene-respiring bacterium.