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Arsenic is a metalloid whose name conjures up images of murder.Nonetheless, certain prokaryotes use arsenic oxyanions for energygeneration, either by oxidizing arsenite or by respiring arsenate.These microbes are phylogenetically diverse and occur in a widerange of habitats. Arsenic cycling may take place in the absenceof oxygen and can contribute to organic matter oxidation. Inaquifers, these microbial reactions may mobilize arsenic fromthe solid to the aqueous phase, resulting in contaminated drinkingwater. Here we review what is known about arsenic-metabolizingbacteria and their potential impact on speciation and mobilizationof arsenic in nature.
1 U.S. Geological Survey, Mailstop 480, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA. 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: roremlan{at}usgs.gov
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