On the basis of these results, the investigated strains
are considered to have good prospects for its application
for microbial detoxification of phenol pollutes industrial
wastewater. A general comparison of the major pathways
for catabolism of aromatic compounds in bacteria, and
possibly in fungi, has revealed that the initial conversion
steps are carried out by different enzymes but that the compounds
are transformed into a limited number of central
intermediates, such as protocatechuate and (substituted)
catechols