Tetracycline antibiotics are widely used in human and veterinary medicine; however, residual amounts of these antibiotics in the environment are of concern since they could contribute to selection of resistant bacteria. In this study, tetracycline (TC), chlortetracycline (CTC), doxycycline (DC) and oxytetracycline (OTC) were treated with laccase from the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor in the presence of the redox mediator 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT). High performance liquid chromatography demonstrated that DC and CTC were completely eliminated after 15 min, while TC and CTC were eliminated after 1 h. This system also resulted in a complete loss of inhibition of growth of Escherichia coil and Bacillus subtilis and the green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata with decreasing tetracycline antibiotic concentration. These results suggest that the laccase-HBT system is effective in eliminating tetracycline antibiotics and removing their ecotoxicity. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.