Cyanobacterial toxins detected by thamnotoxkit (A double blind experiment)

The Thamnotoxkit F(TM) was evaluated for detecting cyanobacterial toxins co mpared with the rat hepatocyte test and mouse test. This test kit is a 24-h bioassay using larvae of the freshwater anostracan crustacean Thamnocephal us platyurus hatched from cysts. Thirteen freeze-dried cyanobacterial sampl es from freshwaters of Hungary, Germany, and Brazil, and strains from the c ulture collection of the University of Helsinki were tested and analyzed fo r microcystins and anatoxin a by high performance liquid chromatography and in some cases, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test. The samples wer e examined by a double blind approach. The Thamnotoxkit test reacts to pure microcystins, neurotoxins, and crude extracts of cyanobacteria. It can be concluded that the Thamnotox test is an alternative simple, cost-effective method that may replace the mouse bioassay used previously for determinatio n of cyanobacterial toxicity, (C) 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.