One feature of styrene which has undoubtedly been in-
£uential in the evolution of microbial styrene catabolic
routes is the natural occurrence of this compound, e.g.
via fungal decarboxylation of cinnamic acid [4,5]. This is
perhaps re£ected in the diverse range of styrene-degrading
microbes that have been isolated from various soil locations
around the globe since the late 1970s. While a dependence
on mixed cultures has been reported, pure culture
isolates capable of styrene degradation have included
species of Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, Nocardia, Xanthobacter
and Enterobacter as well as the black yeast Exophiala
jeanselmei (for a review see Hartmans [6]). However,
as the aim of this review is to present the current
understanding of microbial styrene catabolism, the primary
focus will repeatedly centre upon the genus Pseudomonas,
from which signi¢cant insights have come in recent
years.