Assessment of the application of bioanalytical tools as surrogate measure of chemical contaminants in recycled water.

The growing use of recycled water in large urban centres requires comprehensive public health risk assessment and management, an important aspect of which is the assessment and management of residual trace chemical substances. Bioanalytical methods such as in vitro bioassays may be ideal screening tools that can detect a wide range of contaminants based on their biological effect. In this study, we applied thirteen in vitro assays selected explicitly for their ability to detect molecular and cellular effects relevant to potential chemical exposure via drinking water as a means of screening for chemical contaminants from recycled water at 9 Australian water reclamation plants, in parallel to more targeted direct chemical analysis of 39 priority compounds.

In vitro toxicity and genotoxicity assessment of disinfection by-products, organic N-chloramines.

Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are of concern to both water industries and health authorities. Although several classes of DBPs have been studied, and there are regulated safe levels in disinfected water for some, a large portion of DBPs are not characterized, and need further investigation. Organic N-chloramines are a group of DBPs, which can be formed during common disinfection processes such as chlorination and chloramination, but little is known in terms of their toxicological significance if consumed in drinking water.

Flow-cytometric analysis of in vitro micronucleus formation: comparative studies with WIL2-NS human lymphoblastoid and L5178Y mouse lymphoma cell lines.

The development of a flow cytometry-based micronucleus (FCMMN) assay for measuring the micronucleus (MN) frequency in cells following exposure to test chemicals has potential for improving reproducibility and reducing turn-around time when compared with the traditional microscopy-based micronucleus method. A major drawback of the FCMMN assay is that a false-positive interpretation could result from the presence of large numbers of apoptotic or necrotic bodies in the measured sample. Although several studies have reported ways in which the FCMMN assay could be improved using different staining techniques or electronic gating strategies, to date none of these protocols are suitable for use as a screening assay.

Use of the P gene to genotype human metapneumovirus identifies 4 viral subtypes.

This study, conducted during 2001-2003, undertook the screening of patients with acute infectious respiratory-tract disease. A random selection of positive specimens was used for sequencing studies of the human metapneumovirus (hMPV) nucleoprotein gene and the phosphoprotein (P) gene. Australian and international sequences were compared, and a global classification scheme was developed.