The aim of the present study was to compare the sensitivity of 17 acute bioassays of cyanobacterial toxicity by assessment of crude extracts of three cyanobacterial samples (all dominated by Microcystis sp. but substantially differing in microcystin-LR content). Toxicity of the fractions prepared by solid-phase extraction (SPE) for microcystins was also determined. The most sensitive bioassay was the 24-h test with crustacean Thamnocephalus platyurus, which elicited high lethality in the samples and also in fractions without microcystins. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, protozoans Spirostomum ambiguum and Tetrahymena termophyla, and the crustacean Daphnia pulex formed the second group of sensitive bioassays. Good selective toxicity response to microcystins also was observed in the weakly sensitive biotests with the oligochaete Tubifex tubifex and the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus. Preconcentration of microcystins by SPE substantially decreased variation of the results in bioassays and improved the discriminating potential of most assays employed.
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