Current Status of Arsenic Contamination and the Characterization of Dissimilatory Arsenate-Reducing Bacteria

This book review aims to introduce the current status of arsenic contamination in the environment and a biological arsenic treatment method. Arsenic is very toxic to living organism and cause high potential risk to human and animal health. Thus, the author conducted a comprehensive and critical review of the existing database on arsenic contamination worldwide in water and soil. Additionally, the characteristics of dissimilatory arsenate-reducing bacteria (DARB) as an example of biological arsenic treatment are summarized. DARB are known to contribute to the mobilization of arsenic and other elements from minerals. Despite this, metabolic capabilities of only a few DARB strains have been thoroughly investigated so far, and the influence of these bacteria on the bioavailability of arsenic in the environment is still a topic for discussion. In addition, evidence of microbial growth on arsenate is presented based on isolate analyses, after which a summary of the physiology of the following arsenate-respiring bacteria is provided: Chrysiogenes arsenatis strain BAL-1T, Sulfurospirillum barnesii, Desulfotomaculum strain Ben-RB, Desulfotomaculum auripigmentum strains OREX-4, GFAJ-1, Bacillus sp., Desulfitobacterium hafniense DCB-2T, strain SES-3, Citrobacter sp., Sulfurospirillum arsenophilum sp. nov., Shewanella sp., Chrysiogenes arsenatis BAL-lT, Deferribacter desulfuricans Aeromonas sp. O23A, Anaeromyxobacter sp. PSR-1, and Geobacter sp. OR1. Moreover, a brief explanation of arsenic extraction from a model soil artificially contaminated with As(V) using a novel DARB (Citrobacter sp. NC-1) is given in this review. The author concludes with a discussion of the importance of microbial arsenate reduction in the environment. The successful application and use of DARB should facilitate the effective bioremediation of arsenic-contaminated sites. This review can be readily comprehended by students and scientists and makes for a more informed selection of microbial reduction of arsenic for environmental cleanup.