SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1985
STP36257S

Cyanophage Assay as a New Concept in the Study of Environmental Toxicity

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For over 15 years, a virus-based assay using a cyanophage/host system has been a reliable indicator of water quality in fresh and saline water, in sewage and water treatment, and in various lagooned agricultural and industrial wastes. More recently, this host/virus model has been used in the study of toxic effects and their mechanisms of action. To better comprehend specific effects at low doses, toxicants are observed during the infectious cycle. The success of this approach depends on the genetic distinctions by which one host differs from another in its sensitivity to certain cyanophages. Five cyanophages and eight hosts constitute the currently used system. A host/virus system carries the analysis into the realm of molecular biology whose vast store of genetic information on similar systems can contribute to the biological characterization of the blue-green algal system. Data acquired on formaldehyde, the s-triazine Actane, and the organophosphate pesticides Baytex and diazinon, indicate that the interaction of low doses of toxicant during the infectious cycle need not be a simple function of dose and imply that an LD50 (= median lethal dose) value, or the extrapolation of a laboratory-derived survival curve toward zero, may not be an accurate picture of environmental aquatic toxicity. In view of the current demand for in vitro screening methods, the economy and relative simplicity of the cyanophage approach is of considerable significance.

Author Information

Kraus, MP
Algal Research Center, Landenberg, Pa
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Details
Developed by Committee: E47
Pages: 27–41
DOI: 10.1520/STP36257S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-4922-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-0410-5