Live bacterial cells as analytical tools for speciation analysis: Hypothetical or practical?

This review tries to show the capability of live bacterial cells in speciation analysis, so it emphasizes speciation analysis of metalloid and organometalloid species by combining an uptake process by live bacterial cells with a specific detector. Especially covered in depth is the uptake process, because better understanding of equilibrium and retention mechanisms provides the basis for optimizing the use of bacterial cells. We outline the main parameters affecting the uptake process and the analytical characteristics. We also cover bacteria-based biosensors that represent a research field of growing interest in using live bacteria. We also highlight some future considerations about the role of recombinant bacterial cells in analytical chemistry.