Purine nucleoside phosphorylase of Brevibacterium acetylicum ATCC 954, which catalyzes the production of ribavirin (1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide), a potent antiviral agent, from purine nucleoside and 1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide in a high yield, was purified 49-fold. This enzyme had a molecular weight of 31,000 and was a monomer. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was 4.7. The optimal temperature and pH of inosine phosphorolyzing reaction catalyzed by the enzyme was around 8.5 and 70 degrees C, respectively. The Michaelis constants for inosine, guanosine, and ribavirin were 1.43 mM, 2.44 mM and 2.08 mM, respectively, at 40 degrees C. This enzyme appeared to be a SH enzyme because it was inactivated by SH reagents, p-chloromercuribenzoate and N-ethylmaleimide, and HgCl2. In addition, this enzyme was completely inactivated by AgNO3 and was slightly inhibited by CuSO4. It showed nucleoside-phosphorolyzing activity toward inosine, 2'-deoxyinosine, 2',3'-dideoxyinosine, guanosine, 2'-deoxyguanosine, and xanthosine. However, adenosine and its derivatives could not be phosphorolyzed. This enzyme could not also phosphorolyze various 5'-mononucleotides. According to the amino terminal sequence analysis, the twenty residues from the amino terminal end of this enzyme were identified as follows: MTVNWNETRS-FLECKMQAKPE.