Project name: Herminiimonas arsenicoxydans

Description: Herminiimonas arsenicoxydans.This heterotrophic bacterium is capable of reducing and oxidizing arsenic with the objective of detoxification. Arsenic is both a product from natural sources and of human activities, and is widely distributed in the environment, essentially in 3 different oxidation states: As (-III) (arsine), As (+III) (arsenite) and As (+V) (arseniate). The soluble and toxic forms, arsenite and arseniate are frequently reported as contaminants of water and arsenic has been identified as a major risk factor for human health in many places in the world. The ecology of this metalloid is strongly dependent on microbial transformations which affect the mobility and bioavailability as well as the toxicity of arsenic in the environment. To date, the best-studied mechanism of transformation is the reduction of arseniate (AsV) to arsenite (AsIII).

Last updated: 2009-03-20