A bioluminescent signal system: detection of chemical toxicants in water.

Prototype technologies of a bioluminescent signal system (BSS) based on the luminous bacterium Photobacterium phosphoreum and three enzymatic bioluminescence systems have been proposed for detecting and signalling the presence of toxicants in water systems. A number of pesticides, mostly known as poisonous substances, similar in their structures and physicochemical properties, have been taken as model compounds of chemical agents. The effect of toxicants (organophosphates, derivatives of dithiocarbamide acid, and pyrethroid preparations) on the bioluminescence of the four systems has been analysed. EC(50) and EC(80) have been determined and compared to the maximum permissible concentration for each of the analysed substances. The triple-enzyme systems with ADH and trypsin have been shown to be more sensitive to organophosphorous compounds (0.13-11 mg/L), while the triple-enzyme system with trypsin is highly sensitive to lipotropic poison, a derivative of dithiocarbamine acid (0.03 mg/L). Sensitivities of the triple-enzyme systems to pyrethroid preparations are similar to those of luminous bacteria (0.9-5 mg/L). The results can be used to construct an alarm-test bioluminescence system for detecting chemical toxicants, based on intact bacteria or enzyme systems. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.