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Test/QA Plan for Verification of Microcystin Test Kits
Citation:
MCKERNAN, J., R. James, A. Gregg, Z. Willenberg, AND A. Dindal. Test/QA Plan for Verification of Microcystin Test Kits. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-10/102, 2010.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform public
Description:
Microcystin test kits are used to quantitatively measure total microcystin in recreational waters. These test kits are based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) with antibodies that bind specifically to microcystins or phosphate activity inhibition where the phosphatase hydrolyzes to determine the total toxicity of microcystin present in the sample. The kits report total microcystin or total toxicity in a water sample and therefore do not differentiate between the different variants of microcystin. Microcystin concentrations are indicated by a color measurement that is inversely proportional to the concentration of the total microcystins in the sample, that is, the color disappears if microcystin is present. The color change of the test kits is calibrated against microcystin-LR standards provided with the test kits. Variants bind differently to the immunosorbent resulting in different cross reactivity (CR) for the variants. The CR for specific variants are determined by the vendor and reported in the instructions manual. Kits are available in multiple formats, including 96-well microplates, tube assays, and test strips.