Mixed cultures BDN (BDN) proficient in decolourizing diazo dye reactive blue 160 (RB160) consist of eight bacterial strains, was developed through culture enrichment method from soil samples contaminated with anthropogenic activities. The synthrophic interactions of BDN have led to complete decolourization and degradation of RB160 (100 mg/L) within 4 h along with co-metabolism of yeast extract (0.5%) in minimal medium. BDN microaerophilicaly decolourized even 1500 mg/L of RB160 under high saline conditions (20 g/L NaCl) at 37 degrees C and pH 7.0. BDN exhibited broad substrate specificity and decolourized 27 structurally different dyes. The reductase enzymes symmetrically cleaved RB160 and oxidative enzymes further metabolised the degraded products and five different intermediates were identified using FTIR, (HNMR)-H-1 and GC-MS. The phytotoxicity assay confirmed that intact RB160 was more toxic than dye degraded intermediates. The BDN was able to colonize and decolourized RB160 in soil model system in presence of indigenous miocroflora as well as in sterile soil without any amendment of additional nutrients, which signifies it useful and potential application in bioremediation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.