| Abstract
| - Thermus aquaticus and Thermus thermophilus, commoninhabitants of terrestrial hot springs and thermally polluteddomestic and industrial waters, have been found torapidly oxidize arsenite to arsenate. Field investigations ata hot spring in Yellowstone National Park revealedconserved total arsenic transport and rapid arseniteoxidation occurring within the drainage channel. Thisenvironment was heavily colonized by Thermus aquaticus.In laboratory experiments, arsenite oxidation by culturesof Thermus aquaticus YT1 (previously isolated fromYellowstone National Park) and Thermus thermophilusHB8 was accelerated by a factor of over 100 relative toabiotic controls. Thermus aquaticus and Thermus thermophilusmay therefore play a large and previously unrecognizedrole in determining arsenic speciation and bioavailability inthermal environments.
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