You are here:
FIREFLY LUCIFERASE ATP ASSAY DEVELOPMENT FOR MONITORING BACTERIAL CONCENTRATIONS IN WATER SUPPLIES
Citation:
Picciolo, G., E. Chappelle, J. Deming, R. Thomas, AND D. Nibley. FIREFLY LUCIFERASE ATP ASSAY DEVELOPMENT FOR MONITORING BACTERIAL CONCENTRATIONS IN WATER SUPPLIES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/2-81/014.
Description:
This research program was initiated to develop a rapid, automatable system for measuring total viable microorganisms in potable drinking water supplies using the firefly luciferase ATP assay. The assay was adapted to an automatable flow system that provided comparable sensitivity with established methodology 100,000 bacteria per ml) and assays in less than 2 minutes. Quality controls for required reagents were established. To achieve the sensitivity necessary for bacterial measurements in water, the sample must be concentrated prior to assay. Filtration systems were evaluated for ability to concentrate bacteria from large sample volumes rapidly, efficiently, and without damage to the organisms. Results indicated a limited capability of most systems to meet project criteria. Promising results (200 to 600-fold concentration and up to 88% recovery of bacteria) were obtained using hollow fiber concentration systems modified to incorporate repeated backwash steps. Due to manpower constraints, Goddard Space Flight Center had to discontinue projects not directly related to the space mission and was unable to continue evaluation and development of a satisfactory concentration system to go with the flow system for the ATP assay.