Symposium 1997: Abstract for S Primrose

Symposium 1997: Abstracts

Luminescence-Based Testing for Mutagens

Dr Sandy Primrose
Azur Environmental Ltd, Wokingham, UK

Over the last 15 years, luminescent bacteria have been successfully used to measure the acute toxicity of environmental samples. An extension of this technology has resulted in the development of a genotoxicity test called Mutatox. This test uses a dark mutant of Photobacterium leiognathi that exhibits light production when grown in the presence of non-lethal concentrations of genotoxic chemicals.

The genetic lesion responsible for the low light of this strain is such that the strain responds to mutagenic agents which cause either base substitutions or frame-shifts. The utility of the test has been established by comparing the response of the strain to a large number of known mutagenic and carcinogenic agents. All chemicals which were positive in the Ames test were active in the bioluminescence test. Some carcinogens which were not detected in the Ames test also scored positive in the Mutatox test.

The Mutatox test has a number of advantages over the Ames test. It is simple to perform, can be run with non-sterile test samples and samples which are volatile and/or liquid, and the results can be read automatically with the help of a microplate luminometer or scintillation counter.