**Acknowledgements**

We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Giovanni Vallini, Dr. Simona di Gregorio and Dr. Silvia Lampis for the concession of the use of **Figure 2** in the present manuscript. Funding for this work by RJT is through a discovery grant from NSERC.

[8] Turner RJ, Borghese R, Zannoni D. Microbial processing of tellurium as a tool in biotechnology. Biotechnology Advances. 2012;**30**:954-963. DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2011.08.018

Microbial-Based Bioremediation of Selenium and Tellurium Compounds

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.72096

133

[10] Lampis S, Zonaro E, Bertolini C, Bernardi P, Butler CS, Vallini G. Delayed formation of zero-valent selenium nanoparticles by *Bacillus mycoides* SelTE01 as a consequence of selenite reduction under aerobic conditions. Microbial Cell Factories. 2014;**13**:35. DOI:

[11] Whitten KW, Davis RE, Peck ML. Chapter 6: Chemical periodicity. In: Whitten KW, Davis RE, Peck ML, editors. General Chemistry. 6th ed. Orlando: Saunders College

[12] Barceloux DG. Selenium. Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology. 1999;**37**(2):145-172.

[13] Turner RJ. Tellurite toxicity and resistance in gram-negative bacteria. Recent Research

[14] Martens DA, Suarez DL. Selenium speciation of soil/sediment determinated with sequential extractions and hydride generation atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Environ-

[15] Spallholz JE. On the nature of selenium toxicity and carcinostatic activity. Free Radical

[16] Bebien M, Lagniel G, Garin J, Touati D, Vermeglio A, Labarre J.Involvement of superoxide dismutases in the response of *Escherichia coli* to selenium oxides. Journal of Bacteriology.

[17] Kessi J, Hanselmann KW. Similarities between the abiotic reduction of selenite with glutathione and the dissimilatory reaction mediated by *Rhodospirillum rubrum* and *Escherichia coli*. The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2004;**279**:50662-50669. DOI: 10.1074/

[18] Perez MJ, Calderon IL, Arenas FA, Fuentes DE, Pradenas GA, Fuentes LE, Sandoval JM, Castro ME, Elias AO, Vasquez CC. Bacterial toxicity of potassium tellurite: Unveiling an

[19] Zannoni D, Borsetti F, Harrison JJ, Turner RJ. The bacterial response to the chalcogen metalloids Se and Te. Advances in Microbial Physiology. 2008;**53**:1-71. DOI: 10.1016/S00

[20] Holmgren A. Thioredoxin and glutaredoxin systems. The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

[21] Morales EH, Pinto CA, Luraschi R, Munoz-Villagran CM, Cornejo FA, Simpins SW, Nelson J, Arenas FA, Piotrowski JS, Myers CL, Mori H, Vasquez CC. Accumulation of heme biosynthetic intermediates contributes to the antimicrobial action of the metalloid

tellurite. Nature Communications. 2017;**8**:15320. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15320

ancient enigma. PLoS One. 2007;**2**:e211. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000211

[9] Cooper WC. Tellurium. New York: Van Nostrand Renhod Co; 1971. p. 437

Publishing; 2000. pp. 927-930. DOI: 10.1021/ed079p637

Developments in Microbiology. 2001;**5**:69-77. ISBN: 81-7736-055-8

mental Science & Technology. 1996;**31**:133-139. DOI: 10.1021/es960214+

Biology & Medicine. 1994;**17**:45-64. DOI: 10.1016/0891-5849(94)90007-8

2002;**184**:1156-1164. DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.6.15561564.2002

10.1186/1475-2859-13-35

DOI: 10.1081/CLT- 100102417

jbc.M405887200

65-2911(07)53001-8

1989;**264**:13963-13966
