In order to investigate the possibility of the normal bioanode and bioanode switched to biocathode for the bio-electrochemical degradation of the antibiotic chloramphenicol (CAP), both the bioanode acclimated with CAP and the biocathode inversed from bioanode were monitored for CAP degradation in the bio-electrochemical system. The results demonstrated that the normal enriched bioanode could simultaneously generate current and degrade CAP (k = 0.098 5, 35 mg x L(-1) of CAP) after a long-term acclimation by gradually increasing the concentration of CAP from 5 mg x L(-1) to 80 mg x L(-1). After switching bioanode to biocathode, the cathode biofilm was still capable of catalyzing CAP degradation, although it was influenced to some extent due to changed electrode potential from -0.20 V to -0.40 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode (SHE). The k of biocathode was 0.264 3, significantly higher than that of abiotic cathode (k = 0.160 9). This mode of biocathode, which was switched from bioanode, not only had the ability of reducing nitro group in CAP but also catalyzed the complete dechloridation and carbanyl group reduction of the side chain of aromatic amine product.