Detection of arsenite-oxidizing bacteria in groundwater with low arsenic concentration in Rayong province, Thailand

As contamination in groundwater has become one of the global problems. It has been reported that million people around the world get adverse effects on their health by direct and indirect As-contaminated groundwater consumption. In groundwater, the most abundant As species are arsenite (As3+) and arsenate (As5+). Arsenite is more toxic and mobile than arsenate. Consequently, arsenite oxidation is considered as an important process in groundwater As bioremediation. It has been reported that arsenite-oxidizing bacteria play an important role in reducing As toxicity in contaminated groundwater environment. A functional gene involved in arsenite oxidation is aioA gene. The key objective of this study was to investigate the arsenite-oxidizing bacteria in groundwater with low arsenic concentration in Rayong province, Thailand. The results showed that the arsenite-oxidizing bacteria were detected in groundwater with low arsenic concentration. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that they were closely related to Rhizobium sp., Bradyrhizobiaceae sp., Hydrogenophaga sp., and Stenotrophomonas sp. The knowledge gained from this study will help better understand the distribution of arsenite-oxidizing bacteria in groundwater with low As concentration