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Microorganisms that produce ribavirin(l-^-D-ribofuranosyl-l ,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide; virazole®) directly from pyrimidine nucleosides and TCA(l,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide) were screened from our stock cultures. Of the 400 strains tested, 16 were isolated as ribavirin-producers from uridine or cytidine. In particular, Enterobacter aerogenes AJ 1 1 125, Bacillus brevis AJ 1282 and Sarcina lutea AJ 1212 were found to possess potent activities of ribavirin production from them. In the presence of intact cells of Enterobacter aerogenes AJ 1 1 125, which was selected as the best strain, 1 10.2mMand 67.6mMribavirin were produced from uridine and cytidine, respectively, on 96hr reaction at 60°C. In addition, this strain could also produce ribavirin from guanosine, but could not produce it from orotidine, which is also a pyrimidine nucleoside.