Ecotoxicity testing

We carry out ecotoxicity testing using our multispecies, microbial tests MARA and LumiMARA. These bioassays include microbial strains from marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments to provide a more diverse alternative to tests based on a single marine species of bacteria. 

Bacteria are good candidates for ecotoxicity testing because they are small, grow rapidly and are easy to handle.

The use of bacterial bioassays to assess toxicity is well established, and a single species bacterial test is described in ISO standard 11348-3:2007. This test makes use of the naturally luminescent bacteria Aliivibrio fischeri (previously known as Vibrio fischeri). Exposure to toxins disrupts the bacteria's respiratory processes, which in turn results in a reduction in light output. Reduction in light output is an easily measurable response that can be used to assess the toxicity of samples.

NCIMB's MARA and LumiMARA bioassays make use of the genetic diversity of microbes and the ease with which they can be handled, to take the concept of the microbial bioassay a step beyond single species testing.