Introduction The human body is home to a complex microbial ecosystem. The gastrointestinal tract houses the most numerous microbial community (the gut microbiota), consisting of approximately 1013 microbial cells (1). Collectively, the aggregate genomes of the gut microbiota encode more than 100 times as many unique genes as the approximately 20,000 protein-coding genes found in the human genom...

Biodegradation of xenobiotic compounds is examined with s-triazines as an example and with biological treatment of wastewater containing striazines as an aim. s-Triazines have been termed recalcitrant, but examination of the literature indicates that a potential for biodegradation exists. Ni t rogenl imi ted enr ichment cultures yield organisms able to degrade by-products of the industrial synt...