A highly efficient nonchemical method for isolating live nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) from soil during toxicity assays

The success of soil toxicity tests using Caenorhabditis elegans may depend in large part on recovering the organisms from the soil. However, it can be difficult to learn the International Organization for Standardization/ASTM International recovery process that uses the colloidal silica flotation me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental toxicology and chemistry 2015-01, Vol.34 (1), p.208-213
Main Authors: Kim, Shin Woong, Moon, Jongmin, An, Youn-Joo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agar
Animals
Bioassays
Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans - isolation & purification
Copper
Ecotoxicology
Flotation
Food
Foods
International standards
Metal
Nematoda
Nematodes
Physical chemistry
Recovery
Silica
Silicon dioxide
Soil
Soil (material)
Soil Pollutants - toxicity
Soil testing
Soil toxicology
Soils
Test methods
Toxicity
Toxicity Tests - methods
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Summary:The success of soil toxicity tests using Caenorhabditis elegans may depend in large part on recovering the organisms from the soil. However, it can be difficult to learn the International Organization for Standardization/ASTM International recovery process that uses the colloidal silica flotation method. The present study determined that a soil‐agar isolation method provides a highly efficient and less technically demanding alternative to the colloidal silica flotation method. Test soil containing C. elegans was arranged on an agar plate in a donut shape, a linear shape, or a C curve; and microbial food was placed outside the soil to encourage the nematodes to leave the soil. The effects of ventilation and the presence of food on nematode recovery were tested to determine the optimal conditions for recovery. A linear arrangement of soil on an agar plate that was sprinkled with microbial food produced nearly 83% and 90% recovery of live nematodes over a 3‐h and a 24‐h period, respectively, without subjecting the nematodes to chemical stress. The method was tested using copper (II) chloride dihydrate, and the resulting recovery rate was comparable to that obtained using colloidal silica flotation. The soil‐agar isolation method portrayed in the present study enables live nematodes to be isolated with minimal additional physicochemical stress, making it a valuable option for use in subsequent sublethal tests where live nematodes are required. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:208–213. © 2014 SETAC
ISSN:0730-7268
1552-8618
DOI:10.1002/etc.2788