Arsenic contamination of natural waters is a
worldwide concern, as the drinking water supplies for large
populations can have high concentrations of arsenic. Traditional techniques to detect arsenic in natural water samples can
be costly and time-consuming; therefore, robust and inexpensive methods to detect arsenic in water are highly desirable.
Additionally, methods for detecting arsenic in the field have been greatly sought after. This article focuses on the use of
bacteria-based assays as an emerging method that is both
robust and inexpensive for the detection of arsenic in
groundwater both in the field and in the laboratory. The
arsenic detection elements in bacteria-based bioassays are
biosensor–reporter strains; genetically modified strains of,
e.g., Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus
aureus,andRhodopseudomonas palustris.Inresponseto
the presence of arsenic, such bacteria produce a reporter
protein, the amount or activity of which is measured in the
bioassay. Some of these bacterial biosensor–reporters have
been successfully utilized for comparative in-field analyses
through the use of simple solution-based assays, but future
methods may concentrate on miniaturization using fiberoptics or microfluidics platforms. Additionally, there are
other potential emerging bioassays for the detection of
arsenic in natural waters including nematodes and clams.