Water quality monitoring by Thamnotoxkit F (TM) including cyanobacterial blooms

The Thamnotoxkit F-TM was evaluated for detecting cyanobacterial toxins as they may be hazardous to human health if they reach drinking water networks or ii people are exposed through recreational activity. This test kit is a 24-hour bioassay using larvae of the freshwater anostracan crustacean Tham nocephalus platyurus hatched from cysts. Nine freeze-dried Microcystis aeru ginosa samples from freshwaters of Hungary, Germany and Brazil were tested with the Thamnotox test, rat hepatocyte test, mouse test and analysed for m icrocystins by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). It can be con cluded that the Thamnotox test is an alternative simple, cost-effective met hod that may replace the mouse bioassay used previously for determination o f cyanobacterial toxicity.