The microbiological synthesis of 9-p-D-arabinofuranosyl adenine (ara-A, an antiviral drug) from adenine and arabinofuranosyluracil (ara-U) is described. Various bacteria, especially Enterobacter aerogenes. Escherichia coli, Erwinia herbicola and Aeromonas salmonicida, were found to be able to transfer the arabinofuranosyl moiety of ara-U to adenine (transarabinosylation) in the presence of inorganic phosphate. The optimum conditions for the transarabinosylation were pH 7.0 and 60°C. No reaction was observed in the absence of inorganic phosphate and its optimum concentration was around 30 mM. Six grams of ara-A was produced in liter of reaction mixture in the presence of wet cell paste of Enterobacter aerogenes AJ 11125. Ara-A formed was precipitated in the reaction mixture and isolated with an 87% yield. Physicochemical data for the compound agreed with those of authentic ara-A.