[Tetrahymena pyriformis--a cell test system for environmental medicine. The effect of harmful substances on the cell morphology of Tetrahymena pyriformis].

In the region of Middle Germany phenols and their derivatives are important toxicological compounds for the environment and man. These compounds from wastes water of brown coal mining are source of danger, which can't estimate now. The influence of phenolic compounds on cells and organisms will be investigated with a species of ciliates-Tetrahymena pyriformis as testing system. T. pyriformis is a single-celled eucaryotic organism, which is comparable in sensitiveness and responsiveness to human tissue cells. That's why this cell system is very suitable to investigate on the influence of environmental pollutants. In our investigations phenol and 2,3-Dichlorophenol were used. Both compounds have a very toxic effect on cells. The toxicity of 2,3-Dichlorophenol is 50 times higher than the toxicity of pure phenol. Investigations of vitality by turbidimetry and morphology by image analysis have show that these compounds had an complex of the organisms.