Isolation and characterization of two new microbial strains capable of degradation of the naturally occurring organophosphonate - ciliatine.

Air-born mixed fungal and bacterial culture capable of complete degradation of ciliatine was isolated. The utilization of the natural organophosphonate proceeded in the phosphate independent manner. Enzymatic activity involved in ciliatine degradation studied in the fungal cell-free extract proved to be distinct from bacterial pathway described before.