Comparison of the Ames test and a newly developed assay for detection of mutagenic pollution of marine environments

A new assay for detection of mutagenic pollution of marine environments, based on the use of a series of genetically modified Vibrio harveyi strains, was developed recently. Here, we compared this assay with a commonly used Ames test, employing mutants of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. We found that survival of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium in artificial marine water and in different samples of marine water is dramatically reduced relative to that of V. harveyi strains. This indicates that V. harveyi strains are significantly more useful in testing samples of marine water. Moreover, sensitivity of both assays was compared. We found that using the V. harveyi assay it is possible to detect significantly (from a few to several times) lower concentrations of typical chemical mutagens than employing the Ames test. Although the higher sensitivity of the V. harveyi test relative to the Ames assay may be of minor importance when testing mutagenicity of certain chemicals in their pure form under laboratory conditions, this feature is very important in testing samples of marine water. Therefore, we assume that the V. harveyi assay may be an adequate test for detection of mutagenic pollution of marine environments. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.