A new low-cost microbiotest with the Protozoan spirostomum teres: culture conditions and assessment of sensitivity of the ciliate to 14 pure chemicals.

This paper defines the culture conditions of the ciliate Spirostomum teres and assesses its sensitivity to some xenobiotics for the development of a new low-cost microbiotest. The model was selected for its ubiquitous distribution, large size for a unicellular species, easy culture in holoxenic medium, moderate generation time, and high sensitivity to pure toxicants. The influence of different culture waters, inocula of ciliates, food, temperature, light, and darkness on the growth of the ciliate population was tested. The shortest generation time (average 39 h) was obtained for cultures incubated at 25 degreesC in the dark with an inoculum of 4 ciliates per ml in 25 ml of Volvic mineral water containing 8 boiled wheat grains, when preincubated without ciliates for the previous week. Under these conditions, it was possible to obtain about 3000 ciliates/ml 3 weeks later. Acute toxicity tests (24-h LC50) were carried out for CuSO4, HgCl2, CdCl2, K2Cr2O7, ZnSO4, Pb(NO3)2, thiram, carbaryl, lindane, parathion, parathion methyl, paraoxon, 2, 4,6-trichlorophenol, and sodium pentachlorophenolate (Na-PCP). Very high sensitivity of the model to Hg2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, thiram, and Na-PCP was established. Comparison of its sensitivity with that of Microtox (current results), Daphnia Magna, Tetrahymena pyriformis, Colpidium campylum, and murine fibroblasts (data from literature) confirms the high sensitivity of the model, especially to heavy metals. Easy-to-perform, cost-effective, and sensitive bioassays using S. teres are suitable for risk assessment and early detection of toxicity in fresh water.