ABSTRACT
The continuous rise in arsenic contamination of soil and groundwater in different parts of the world that resulted from several geogenic and anthropogenic actions demands an advanced, cost-effective, and eco-friendly remediation approach to diminish the risks associated with the adverse effects of arsenic on human health and environment. Phylogenetically diverse bacterial species inhabiting such polluted environments have evolved with several strategies to combat the toxicity of both inorganic and organic species of arsenic. After being adventitiously introduced inside the bacteria, arsenic species either get directly discharged from the cell through efflux pumps, or are transformed into innocuous states by redox reactions and methylation reaction before being released. Moreover, endophytic bacteria and bacteria residing in the rhizosphere enhance plant growth by alleviating arsenic toxicity in plants. This chapter will delineate each detoxifying process counting the molecular mechanisms behind it employed by tolerant bacterial species. It also aims to provide knowledge for designing and implicating possible bioremediation techniques utilizing the stress responses of these beneficial bacteria and their potential consortia to this noxious metalloid.
