Triclosan is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent that has been incorporated into many household and medical products. Bacteria with high levels of triclosan resistance were isolated from compost, water, and soil samples. Two of these bacteria, Pseudomonas putida TriRY and Alcaligenes xylosoxidans subsp. denitrificans TR1, were able to use triclosan as a sole carbon source and clear particulate triclosan from agar. A decrease in triclosan concentration was measured by HPLC within 6 h of inoculation with strain TriRY and 24 h with strain TR1. Bioassays demonstrated that triclosan was inactivated in liquid cultures and/or embedded in plastic by the growth of strain TriRY and strain TR1, permitting the growth of triclosan-sensitive bacteria. ß