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Biotransformation of Arsenic in Environment Mediated by Microorganisms

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Abstract

The health of the people worldwide is at risk due to the drinking of water contaminated with arsenic (As). Occurrence of As in drinking water is due to the natural processes and rarely by man-made activities. Mobilization of As from natural or anthropogenic sources in the drinking water is the first crucial step responsible for human health implication. Exposure to As can damage body parts leading to diseases such as cancer of the bladder and the skin, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and developmental, neurological, and metabolic disorders. Evidences from scientific studies suggest that mobilization of As is a microbiological phenomenon. All living organisms show resistance or sensitivity to As depending on the concentration of As to which they are exposed to. But few groups of microorganisms utilize As for their growth. In the environment, microorganisms interact with As through a variety of mechanisms, including sorption mobilization, precipitation, and redox and methylation reaction. The microbial activities in the environment may be beneficial or detrimental affecting the fate and mobility of As in the biogeochemical cycle. This review highlights the different systems which have evolved in microorganisms to resist the high concentration and to participate in environmental As cycles.

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Acknowledgment

The author would like to thank Prof. M. B. Khetmalas and Prof. B. P. Kapdnis for the initiative and support. The author is grateful to the editor of this book, Prof. V. C. Kalia, for the support in editing of the manuscript. The author is thankful to Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth for the support.

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  1. Dr. D. Y. Patil Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Institute, Tathawade, Pune-33, Maharashtra, India

    Supriya Kore

  2. Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra, India

    Supriya Kore

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  1. Supriya Kore
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Correspondence to Supriya Kore .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Microbial Biotechnology and Genomics, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi University Campus, Delhi, India

    Vipin Chandra Kalia

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Kore, S. (2015). Biotransformation of Arsenic in Environment Mediated by Microorganisms. In: Kalia, V. (eds) Microbial Factories. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2598-0_18

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