Berry D F, Hagedorn C
Biotechnology. 1991;15:57-73. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-409-90199-3.50010-3.
Releases of GEMs into the environment are expected to increase in the next few years, with the most dramatic increases resulting from the application of pest-control agents in agriculture and forestry. Of major significance in assessing the environmental risk impact of GEMs is an understanding of their survival and transport in soil and subsurface environments. While information on the transport and survival of microorganisms through soil is available, it is neither abundant nor extensive in terms of microbial types tested or soils examined. Though the transport of microorganisms from an application site depends primarily upon passive mechanisms, broad generalizations pertaining to the transportability of a specific microorganism within a particular soil environment may not be possible. Indeed, to extrapolate from information about one microbe to another, or from one geographical location to another, may not be appropriate. What is clear, however, is that the broader the data base, the more powerful the argument for making reasoned judgement, and consequently the more satisfactory the results of the predictive process. Several inherent difficulties exist in studying the transport behavior of GEMs in soil and subsurface environments. Detection of low microbial numbers or of stressed microbial populations is exceedingly difficult with traditional technology. In an effort to improve detection sensitivity, many improved methods of monitoring GEMs in the soil and subsurface are currently under development (Chaudhry et al. 1989). Beyond the difficulties of making accurate measurements of microorganisms to determine their spatial and temporal situation in the soil and subsurface environment, lies the need to ascertain the dynamic relationships between indigenous populations of microorganisms and how they may interact with a released GEM. Also, research strategies have not adequately addressed methods to predict the potential interactions between GEMs and natural microorganisms. These issues must be addressed if environmental risk assessment is to be valuable. There is clearly a need for focused research on the survival and transport of GEMs in these environments.
预计在未来几年内，基因工程微生物（GEMs）向环境中的释放量将会增加，其中最显著的增长将来自于农业和林业中害虫防治剂的应用。在评估基因工程微生物对环境风险的影响时，了解它们在土壤和地下环境中的存活及迁移情况至关重要。虽然已有关于微生物在土壤中的迁移和存活信息，但就所测试的微生物类型或所研究的土壤而言，这些信息既不丰富也不广泛。尽管微生物从施用地点的迁移主要依赖被动机制，但针对特定微生物在特定土壤环境中的迁移能力进行广泛概括可能并不可行。实际上，将关于一种微生物的信息外推至另一种微生物，或从一个地理位置外推至另一个地理位置，可能并不合适。然而，显而易见的是，数据库越广泛，做出合理判断的论据就越有力，因此预测过程的结果也就越令人满意。在研究基因工程微生物在土壤和地下环境中的迁移行为时存在一些固有困难。用传统技术检测低微生物数量或受胁迫的微生物群体极其困难。为提高检测灵敏度，目前正在开发许多改进的监测土壤和地下环境中基因工程微生物的方法（乔杜里等人，1989年）。除了难以准确测量微生物以确定它们在土壤和地下环境中的空间和时间分布情况外，还需要确定土壤中本地微生物种群之间的动态关系以及它们与释放的基因工程微生物可能的相互作用方式。此外，研究策略尚未充分探讨预测基因工程微生物与天然微生物之间潜在相互作用的方法。如果环境风险评估要有价值，就必须解决这些问题。显然需要针对基因工程微生物在这些环境中的存活和迁移开展重点研究。
