Dechlorination of DDT by Aerobacter aerogenes

Dechlorination of DDT to DDD in higher animals requires the presence of molecular oxygen, but in microorganisms the presence of oxygen hinders dechlorination. In cell-free preparations of Aerobacter aerogenes, the use of selected metabolic inhibitors indicated that reduced Fe(II) cytochrome oxidase was responsible for DDT dechlorination. This finding may possibly explain. the persistence of DDT residues in soils and sediments.