Specific detection of organotin compounds with a recombinant luminescent bacteria

Organotin compounds are widely used as biocides in marine and terrestrial environments. Several currently used techniques allow either the measurement of the chemicals or their effects on living organisms. Our current research focuses on the development of a complementary method based on a bacterial bioluminescence-based bioassay for the specific detection of organotin compounds. The performance of the bioassay was assessed. The Escherichia coli bacterial strain used in this study is specific for TBT and DBT (with Cl, Br or I as the halogen group) with the central tin atom important for light production. The assay is conducted after overnight culture of the bacterial strain, followed by 60 min of contact time with the organotin compound for significant light production. The detection limits were found to be 0.08 muM for TBT (26 mug l(-1)) and 0.0001 muM for DBT (0.03 mug l(-1)) with a linear range of one logarithm. The repeatability of the bioassay is 8% and the reproducibility for TBT and DBT was approximately 14%. Lyophilization of the strains did not significantly modify the detection limit as well as the range of detection. Applications of the bioassay to environmental samples are discussed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.