%0 Journal Article %A O'Brien, R. W. %A Morris, J. G. %T The Ferredoxin-dependent Reduction of Chloramphenicol by Clostridium acetobutylicum %D 1971 %J Microbiology, %V 67 %N 3 %P 265-271 %@ 1465-2080 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-67-3-265 %I Microbiology Society, %X SUMMARY: Chloramphenicol did not inhibit growth and protein synthesis when added (100 μg./ml.) to growing cultures of Clostridium acetobutylicum, even though the organism was sensitive to this antibiotic in plate assay. This paradox was explained by the finding that chloramphenicol was rapidly reduced and thus detoxified by actively growing cultures. Cell-free extracts of C. acetobutylicum reduced the aryl nitro group of chloramphenicol via a ferredoxin-dependent enzymic reaction for which pyruvate was the most effective primary electron donor. A number of other aryl nitro-compounds were similarly reduced. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-67-3-265