A novel ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA)-degrading bacterial strain (LPM-4) with a specific requirement for EDTA as the sole nitrogen source was isolated. According to 16S rDNA sequencing, this isolate belonged to the alpha-proteobacteria group and was closely related to uncultured bacteria available from the GenBank (NCBI) database. The cells consumed glucose added to EDTA-containing medium only after EDTA exhaustion. Mass cell yield (Y-x/s) from EDTA and glucose amounted to 22.4 and 25.5%, respectively; the energy cell yield (eta(x/s)) from both substrates was 32%. Suspensions of washed cells of this isolate degraded EDTA and complexes Ba-, Mg-, Ca-, and Mn-EDTA at constant rates ranging from 0.310 to 0.486 mmol EDTA/(g dry cells h). Specific degradation rate of the more stable complex Zn-EDTA was 0.137 +/- 0.016 mmol EDTA/(g dry cells h) within the first 10 h of incubation and then declined. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.