The bacterial strain FLB300 was enriched with 3-fluorobenzoate as sole carbon source. Besides benzoate all isomeric monofluorobenzoates were utilized. Regioselective 1,2-dioxygenation rather than 1,6-dioxygenation yielded 4-fluorocatechol and minimized the production of toxic 3-fluorocatechol. Degradation of 4-fluorocatechol was mediated by reactions of ortho cleavage pathway activities. Chemotaxonomic and r-RNA data excluded strain FLB300 from a phylogenetically defined genus Pseudomonas and suggested its allocation to the alpha-2 subclass of Proteobacteria in a new genus of the Agrobacterium-Rhizobium branch
