Strains (47) of 14 genera isolated from soil and woody chips were
tested
for their ability to oxidize dibenzofuran, a model
compound for highly chlorinated dibenzofuran pollutants. Thirty strains
formed
one or more isomers of monohydroxylated
dibenzofurans identified by chemical structure analysis with hplc and
GC-MS, indicating an active monooxygenase system widely
distributed in filamentous fungi. Dihydroxylated derivatives were detected
in
only very low amounts and some degradation products
were observed. A few fungi metabolized dibenzofuran only to intermediates
with hydrophilic characteristics (eight strains) and nine
strains showed no transformation capability. The transformation reactions
were not inducible and seemed to be strain-specific.