Miniaturized kinetic growth inhibition assay with denitrifying bacteria Paracoccus denitrificans

A method to cultivate anaerobic bacteria on standard 96-well microplates with automatic recording of growth curves is presented. The method was used as a kinetic growth inhibition assay with denitrifying bacteria Paracoccus denitrificans, and applied to various heavy metal ions and selected agrochemicals. Incorporated in a battery of other biotest the assay could take into account effects of toxicants on denitrifying organisms. The results (EC50) revealed that the assay was relatively sensitive. Performed in vials, the assay was also applied to toxicity testing of volatile compounds and represented a convenient method for assessing samples containing volatile constituents.