Bacillus macyae sp. nov., an arsenate-respiring bacterium isolated from an Australian gold mine.

A strictly anaerobic arsenate-respiring bacterium isolated from a gold mine in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, belonging to the genus Bacillus is described. Cells are Gram-positive, motile rods capable of respiring with arsenate and nitrate as terminal electron acceptors using a variety of substrates, including acetate as the electron donor. Reduction of arsenate to arsenite is catalysed by a membrane-bound arsenate reductase that displays activity over a broad pH range.