Studies on the genotoxicity of endosulfan in bacterial systems

Endosulfan, an organochlorine pesticide, was subjected to the differential sensitivity assay in repair-deficient and repair-proficient strains of Esch erichia coli K12, prophage lambda induction assay in WP2s (lambda) and muta tion induction in E. coli K12. The induction of umu gene expression with en dosulfan was studied also in Salmonella typhimurium TA1535/pSK1002 cells. T he differential sensitivity assay revealed that the recA 13 strain was the most sensitive. Endosulfan induced prophage lambda in E. coli and umu gene expression in S. typhimurium cells; however, the extent of the effects were low. Endosulfan also induced a dose-dependent increase in forward mutation s in E. coli K12 cells from ampicillin sensitivity to ampicillin resistance . Our studies indicate the genotoxic potential of endosulfan and the role o f the recA gene in the repair of endosulfan-induced DNA damage. (C) 1999 El sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.