TOXICITY TESTING WITH VIBRIO-FISCHERI - A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE LONG-TERM (24 H) AND THE SHORT-TERM (30 MIN) BIOASSAY

The acute bioluminescence inhibition assay using the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri as the test organism is a widely used short term toxic ity test, This paper compares the standard 30 minutes test viith a 24 h assay using the same organism and the same test parameter. For that purpose concentration-response relationships were determined for a set of selected substances, reflecting different modes and mechanisms of action. The results indicate a severe blind spot of the acute biotest: The toxicity of certain specifically acting chemicals is drastically underestimated here, while the chronic biotest gives a more reliable e stimate of the toxicity of these substances. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.