ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes known fungal detoxication reactions of pesticides to provide a general concept of the possible transformation reactions which can be expected by the interference of fungi with xenobiotic compounds and to stimulate interest for study in the widespread basic biochemical reactions. Although dealkylation reactions are truly one of the major detoxication activities of the soil fungi, no detailed knowledge on the dealkylation mechanism exists. While a great number of soil bacteria are capable of attacking and cleaving the aromatic ring and causing complete breakdown to carbon dioxide and water, there is only limited detailed knowledge of this mechanism occurring with soil fungi. The various attacks on the phenylacetic acid molecule leave much room for speculation on the mechanism of ring cleavage, since even with the formation of a hydroxylated intermediate, the regular and known pathway does not appear to be the only possibility.
