Microtox® solid phase test: Effect of diluent used in toxicity test

Microtox® solid phase test is an acute toxicity test for solid matrices based on inhibition of natural bioluminescence of the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri. Protocols developed to overcome the effects of confounding factors are proposed in the literature that differs by important practical and methodological issues. This work focused on diluents used for sediment resuspension and dilution. Two artificial seawaters, one natural seawater and two phosphate buffer solutions, were compared. The results showed that toxicity data obtained using different diluents were not comparable and that test sensitivity is highest using 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution. The effects of medium on test organism were also investigated, in order to verify the capacity of media to maintain bioluminescence. The results underlined the importance of pH and Eh to explain the observed differences in toxicity.