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Use of the microscreen phage‐induction assay to assess the genotoxicity of 14 hazardous industrial wastes
Author(s) -
Houk Virginia Stewart,
Demarini David M.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
environmental and molecular mutagenesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1098-2280
pISSN - 0893-6692
DOI - 10.1002/em.2850110104
Subject(s) - prophage , genotoxicity , salmonella , hazardous waste , escherichia coli , carcinogen , ames test , mutagen , chemistry , sos response , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , bacteriophage , bacteria , toxicity , gene , biochemistry , genetics , ecology , organic chemistry
The Microscreen phage‐induction assay, which quantitatively measures the induction of prophage λ in Escherichia coli WP2 s (λ), was used to test 14 crude (unfractionated) hazardous industrial waste samples for genotoxic activity in the presence and absence of metabolic activation. Eleven of the 14 wastes induced prophage, and induction was observed at concentrations as low as 0.4 pg per ml. Comparisons between the ability of these waste samples to induce prophage and their mutagenicity in the Salmonella reverse mutation assay indicate that the phage‐induction assay detected genotoxic activity in all but one of the wastes that were mutagenic in Salmonella . Moreover, the Microscreen assay detected as genotoxic five additional wastes that were not detected in the Salmonella assay. The applicability of the Microscreen phage‐induction assay for screening hazardous wastes for genotoxic activity is discussed, as are some of the problems associated with screening highly toxic wastes containing toxic volatile compounds.