Intermediary Metabolism of Nitrobenzoic Acids by Bacteria

Abstract

KE et al. ¹ have recently reported that the aerobic degradation of o-nitrobenzoic acid by a Flavobacterium involves the o-nitroso and o-hydroxylamino compounds. The corresponding amino-derivative, anthranilic acid, was not oxidized, their paper implying on the basis solely of manometric data that it was not a potential metabolite of o-nitrobenzoic acid although they found that cells grown on anthranilic acid could oxidize both it and salicylic acid. We wish to direct attention to the fact that although the aminobenzoates may not always be directly concerned in aerobic degradation of nitrobenzoic acids, they are nevertheless important intermediary metabolites.