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At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
USGS2010

Comparative toxicity of diphacinone to northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and American kestrels (Falco sparverius)

The acute oral toxicity of the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was found to be about 20 times greater to American kestrels (LD 50 =97 mg/kg) than to northern bobwhite (LD 50 =2,014 mg/kg). Several precise and sensitive clotting assays (prothrombin time, Russell's Viper venom time, thrombin clotting time) were adapted for use in these species, and this combination of assays is recommended to detect effects of diphacinone and other rodenticides on coagulation. Oral administration of diphacinone over a range of doses (sublethal to the extrapolated LD 15 ) prolonged prothrombin time and Russell's Viper venom time within 24 to 48 hrs post-exposure. Prolongation of in vitro clotting time reflects impaired coagulation complex activity and was detected before or at the onset of overt signs of toxicity and lethality. These data will assist in the development of a pharmacodynamic model to assess and predict rodenticide toxicity to non-target avian species.

Proceedings of the 24th Vertebrate Pest Conference↗
USGS2005

Physiological characterization of a broad spectrum reductively dechlorinating consortium

A wetland sediment-derived microbial consortium (WBC-2) was developed by the US Geological Survey and propagated in vitro to large quantities by SiREM Laboratory for potential use in bioaugmentation applications. On the basis of bench-scale tests, the consortium could completely dechlorinate 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, cis- and trans-1,2-dichoroethylene, 1,1-dichloroethylene, 1,2-dichloroethane, and vinyl chloride in culture medium. Batch microcosms were carried out under anaerobic conditions in culture medium with neutral pH and with pH adjusted from acidic (pH 4, 5, and 6) to alkaline (pH 8 and 9). To evaluate oxygen sensitivity of WBC-2, an aliquot was removed from an anaerobic culture vessel and poured into smaller containers on the bench top where a series of oxygen exposures were applied to the culture by bubbling ambient air through the culture at a rate of ??? 100 mL/min. Chlorinated methanes tended to inhibit activity of a wide range of microorganisms. Although toxicity effects from CT addition were observed with WBC-2 in liquid culture at 3 mg/L concentration, WBC-2 in the columns could maintain degradation of CT and chloroform (CF) and of the chlorinated ethanes and ethylenes at CT and CF concentrations of 10 and 20 mg/L, respectively. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the Proceedings of the 8th International In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium (Baltimore, MD 6/6-9/2005).

Conference Paper↗
USGS2009

Biodegradation of 17β-estradiol, estrone, and testosterone in stream sediments

The release of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent poses a significant threat to the ecology of surface water receptors, due to impacts on the hormonal control, sexual development, reproductive success and community structure of the indigenous aquatic organisms and associated wildlife. Among the EDCs commonly observed in WWTP effluent, the natural [e.g., 17??-estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1)] and synthetic [e.g., ethynylestradiol (EE2)] estrogens are particular concerns owing to their high endocrine reactivity in both in vitro and in vivo laboratory models. These reproductive hormones have been identified as the primary cause of estrogenic effects in wastewater effluent, with greater than 95% of the estrogen receptor agonist activity in effluent attributed to this contaminant group. The potentials for in situ biodegradation of 17??-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), and testosterone (T) were investigated in three, hydrologically-distinct, WWTP-impacted streams in the United States. Relative differences in the mineralization of [4- 14 C] substrates were assessed in oxic microcosms containing sediment or water-only from locations upstream and downstream of the WWTP outfall in each system. Upstream samples provided insight into the biodegradative potential of sediment microbial communities that were not under the immediate impact of WWTP effluent. Upstream sediment from all three systems demonstrated significant mineralization of the "A" ring of E2, E1 and T, with the potential of T biodegradation consistently greater than of E2 and no systematic difference in the potentials of E2 and E1. Downstream samples provided insight into the impacts of effluent on reproductive hormone biodegradation. Significant "A" ring mineralization was also observed in downstream sediment, with the potentials for E1 and T mineralization being substantially depressed relative to upstream samples. In marked contrast, the potentials for E2 mineralization immediately downstream of the WWTP outfalls were more than double that of upstream samples. E2 mineralization was also observed in water, albeit at insufficient rate to prevent substantial downstream transport in the water column. The results of this study indicate that, in combination with sediment sorption processes which effectively scavenge hydrophobic contaminants from the water column and immobilize them in the vicinity of the WWTP outfall, aerobic biodegradation of reproductive hormones can be an environmentally important mechanism for nonconservative (destructive) attenuation of hormonal endocrine disruptors in effluent-impacted streams.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2011

Exxon Valdez oil spill restoration project final report: Prince William Sound Herring disease program (HDP), restoration project 070819

Surveys of pathogens in Pacific herring from 2007 – 2010 indicated that Ichthyophonus , viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, and erythrocytic necrosis virus are endemic in Prince William Sound and throughout the NE Pacific. Laboratory studies with VHSV indicated that multiple herring stocks are equally susceptible to the resulting disease, Pacific herring shed copious levels of VHSV (as high at 5x10 8 plaque-forming units/day) shortly after exposure, chronic and persistent infections can occur in Pacific herring, susceptibility of Pacific herring to VHS extends to the larval life stages but not the embryonic stages, and the prior exposure history of Pacific herring to VHSV can be determined post hoc. Laboratory studies involving Ichthyophonus indicated that schizonts can be inactivated with chlorine and iodine solutions, the parasite can survive for extended periods in saltwater but not freshwater, a low potential exists for cross contamination between in vitro explant cultures, infectious schizonts are released from the skin surface of infected herring, schizonts are not uniformly distributed throughout the skeletal muscle of infected Pacific herring, multiple types of Ichthyophonus exist with different genotypes and phenotypic traits, and temperature is an important factor influencing the infectivity of Ichthyophonus . Additional field and laboratory studies indicated that Ichthyophonus negatively influences the swimming performance of infected hosts and the negative impacts effects are exacerbated by increasing temperatures, American shad are an important reservoir of Ichthyophonus in the NE Pacific, Pacific herring are not susceptible to infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN), and Pacific herring will accept surgically implanted acoustic tags with negligible impacts on survival.

Alaska, Washington↗
USGS2001

Yukon River King Salmon - Ichthyophonus Pilot Study

When king salmon enter the Yukon River on their spawning migration in mid June, over 25% of the population are infected with Ichthyophonus . The percent of infected fish remains relatively constant until the fish pass river mile 1,319 at Dawson, Y.T., then it drops to 13% when they reach river mile 1,745 at Whitehorse, Y.T. When the sexes are examined separately, slightly more females are infected than males (29% vs 22%). The percent of fish exhibiting clinical signs (diseased) is 2-3% when they enter the river, but increases to over 20% at river mile 715 near Tanana, AK. Disease prevalence within the population remains constant at >20% until fish pass Dawson, then the percent of diseased fish drops to <9% at Whitehorse. When the sexes are examined separately, male disease prevalence is highest at Tanana (22.6%) then gradually drops to just 12.9% at Whitehorse. Females however, continue to show an increase in disease prevalence peaking at river mile 1,081 near Circle, AK, at 36.4%, then dropping to just 5.3% at Whitehorse. Data on infection and disease collected from kings at Nenana on the Tanana River more closely resembles that seen at Whitehorse than the lower and middle Yukon River. When data collected in 1999 and 2000 are compared the prevalence of infection in males remains the same while a 15% drop in infection prevalence occurs in females. There is also a drop in the percent of infected fish showing Ichthyophonus infection of the muscle. This difference may be related to a 2&deg;C lower river temperature in 2000 compared with 1999. Significant egg resorption was seen in 25% of females but no correlation with Ichthyophonus infection could be made. The cause of resorption and the extent to which it affects fecundity has yet to be determined. Attempts to experimentally infect Chinook salmon and rainbow trout with Yukon River Ichthyophonus isolates were essentially unsuccessful by both feeding of infected tissues and injection of cultured spores. However, other unrelated fish species were infected without difficulty. A method for non-lethal sampling of adult spawning Chinook salmon for Ichthyophonus was developed using known infected fish and live returning spawners. The method consisted of taking punch biopsies of skin and muscle and culturing the biopsy tissue in vitro. A 100% correlation was made between known infected fish and cultured biopsy tissue.

Report↗
USGS1962

Photometric microdetermination of malathion

Carboxylic esters and lactones react with alkaline hydroxylamine to yield hydroxamates; these in acidic solution form colored iron(III) complexes. A photometric determination of such esters and lactones is thus permitted and has been extensively applied ( I-6). Hestrin ( 3) utilized this method for the microdetermination of acetylcholine and his procedure is much used for the in vitro study of cholinesterase activity and inhibition (4-6).

Chemist-Analyst↗
USGS1995

Particle-tracking analysis of flow paths and travel times within the capture areas of well fields in Salt Lake Valley, Utah

A particle-tracking analysis was done to estimate capture zones for selected public-supply wells in Salt Lake Valley. Twenty-five- and 50-year capture zones were estimated using a regional, finite-difference, ground-water flow model in conjunction with a particle-tracking program. Three sets of wells currently discharging ground water of adequate quality for public use, but located near areas of ground water with high dissolved-solids concentrations, were selected for the analysis. These included five wells in central Salt Lake Valley near the former Vitro chemical-processing site, four wells in southwestern Salt Lake Valley northeast of Copperton, and five wells in southeastern Salt Lake Valley between Midvale and Sandy. Capture zones were estimated for the wells for current average pumping and projected increased pumping. The quality of ground water within the estimated capture zones was evaluated by comparing the extent of the zones with the distribution of dissolved solids in the ground water surrounding the selected wells. Results of the analysis of wells in central Salt Lake Valley indicate that most of the volume of ground water within the well’s capture zones is characterized by dissolved-solids concentration of less than 500 milligrams per liter. Estimated capture zones of wells in southwestern and southeastern Salt Lake Valley contain ground water with higher dissolved-solids concentrations than ground water currently being discharged by those wells. Estimated 50-year capture zones of selected wells in southwestern Salt Lake Valley contain ground water with dissolved-solids concentrations exceeding 5,000 milligrams per liter. Estimated 50-year capture zones for wells in southeastern Slat Lake Valley, based on simulation of projected increased pumping, indicate flow toward the wells from an area of ground water west of the Jordan River characterized by dissolved-solids concentrations exceeding 1,000 milligrams per liter.

Utah↗
USGS2018

Environmental contaminants of health-care origin: Exposure and potential effects in wildlife

A diverse range of fauna could be exposed to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) via diet, dermal absorption or bioconcentration. Low level exposures of free-ranging wildlife to APIs has only been demonstrated for a few pathways (e.g., ingestion of fish in estuaries by piscivorous birds), and many remain hypothetical (e.g., ingestion of invertebrates in sludge amended fields by terrestrial vertebrates). Our understanding of API dose-response relationships in wildlife have only been assessed for endocrine disrupting compounds and a few veterinary therapeutics. Drug specific responses at various levels of biological organization are poorly characterized for nearly all wildlife species, and thus our understanding of risk is limited. There is interest in using a read-across approach to fill knowledge gaps for risk. This approach, using data collected in laboratory mammals and humans, would enable predictions for likelihood of adverse effects in wildlife. Given the great diversities in physiologies among species, a combination of in vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches will be required to fill the knowledge gaps for exposure, hazard and risk.

Book chapter↗
USGS2010

Fate of estrogenic compounds during municipal sludge stabilization and dewatering

This project brought together a team of experts in the fields of environmental engineering, analytical chemistry and hydrogeology, and biological assay analysis to evaluate the occurrence and fate of estrogenic compounds and the estrogenicity of biosolids derived from wastewater treatment. The primary objective of the study was to provide key baseline information concerning the estrogenicity (measured with in vitro bioassays) and concentrations of individual estrogenic compounds and other trace organic chemicals through common wastewater treatment processes. This research is important for developing information critical to the assessment of the potential risks associated with biosolids land application. Published by WERF. 178 pages. Soft cover and online PDF. (2010)

Report↗
USGS2024

Brodifacoum isomer formulations with potentially lower risk to non-target wildlife

Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) have a long history of successful use in controlling vertebrate pest and invasive species. Despite regulatory efforts to mitigate risk, non-target wildlife may be unintentionally exposed to ARs through various trophic pathways, and depending on dose, exposure can result in adverse effects and mortality. Second-generation ARs (SGARs) are mixtures of cis- and trans-diastereoisomers (each including two stereoisomers) that exhibit similar in vitro inhibitory potency for vitamin K epoxide reductase in rodent microsomal assay systems. Some diastereoisomers and hence some individual stereoisomers are preferentially metabolized in vivo, resulting in residue patterns in exposed target rodents that differ from the bait formulations. Use of less persistent but equally potent SGAR stereoisomers in baits results in lower tissue residues in target rodents, which in turn constitutes lower risk when consumed by non-target wildlife. The toxicity of two brodifacoum formulations with stereoisomers having markedly different elimination half-lives in rats (Formulation A containing the two least persistent stereoisomers, and Formulation B containing the most persistent stereoisomer) were tested in a 7-day dietary feeding trial with American kestrels. Based on previous kestrel studies using commercially available brodifacoum, Formulations A and B were each provided at three dietary concentrations (0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 µg/g diet, 4 kestrels/dose level) predicted to cause a range of toxicity. Compared to unexposed controls, all kestrels that ingested 0.5 µg/g diet of the longer-lived Formulation B exhibited extreme coagulopathy. In contrast, the 0.5 µg/g diet of the shorter-lived Formulation A yielded only a modest lengthening of clotting time in just 1 of the 4 exposed kestrels. These findings support the notion that SGAR baits enriched with less persistent stereoisomers may pose lower hazard and ultimately risk to non-target wildlife.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2026

Toxicity of 6PPD alternatives to salmonid cell lines

Stormwater runoff in urban areas introduces numerous anthropogenic chemicals into surrounding aquatic environments. One such chemical is 6PPD ( N -(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)- N ’-phenyl- p- phenylenediamine), the primary antidegradant responsible for protecting tire rubber from ozone-induced degradation and cracking. When exposed to ozone on the road surface 6PPD is transformed into the toxic transformation product 6PPD-quinone (6PPDQ). This compound is highly lethal to coho salmon ( O ncorhynchus kisutch ), and 24 hour 50% lethal concentrations (LC 50 ; 41-95 ng/L) are frequently detected in urban streams during stormwater runoff events 1-5 . The highest stream concentrations of 6PPDQ and most extensive coho salmon mortality occur in high-traffic urban areas, where tire wear particles accumulate due to the frequent braking and acceleration of cars 6 . In the Seattle area, some coho salmon-bearing streams can lose over 90% of returning females prior to spawning due to 6PPDQ-containing runoff 7 . Prespawn loss of this magnitude could result in the extinction of some urban spawning populations 8 . Importantly, the lethal effects of 6PPDQ have been observed in several other salmonid species, indicating that its impact may threaten fish health for urban aquatic environments globally 9-11 . The ubiquity of 6PPD in automobile tires, high toxicity of the transformation product 6PPDQ, and prevalence of 6PPD and 6PPDQ in environmental matrices has spurred investigations into alternative rubber antiozonants to replace 6PPD that retain tire performance while reducing ecological harm. A technical memorandum provided to the legislature by the Washington State Department of Ecology summarized a list of potential 6PPD alternatives requiring further study, including several structurally similar p-phenylenediamines (PPDs) 12 . However, the structural similarity of other PPDs to 6PPD and their known production of quinone transformation products 13 raises concerns that they may elicit similar toxic effects as 6PPDQ. Currently, investigations into the toxicity of proposed PPD alternatives or their ozonated transformation products in coho salmon are limited, representing a significant data gap in evaluating whether they offer improved environmental safety over 6PPD. This project investigated the toxicity of proposed alternative rubber antiozonants in vitro using immortalized cell lines derived from three salmonid species with known differences in sensitivity to 6PPDQ (coho salmon, Chinook salmon ( O. tshawytscha ), rainbow trout ( O. mykiss )) 1 . These immortalized cell lines replicate toxic responses observed in in vivo studies, while enabling higher-throughput testing and reducing the need for animal use and other resource-intensive procedures. The antiozonants and their transformation products selected for testing were chosen based on multiple criteria, including their inclusion in the Ecology technical memorandum, structural substitutions (e.g., branched/cyclic alkyl vs aryl substitutions), commercial availability, and input from the Washington State Department of Ecology and other industry experts.

Report↗
USGS1984

Fish cell lines: Characterization by isozyme analysis

The electrophoretic mobilities of isozymes from 16 enzyme systems were determined for nine fish cell lines. The relative migration of the malate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphoglucose dehydrogenase isozymes could be used together to distinguish between seven of the fish cell lines. Two cyprinid cell lines could not be distinguished from each other but were readily separated from the six noncyprinid lines and the one other line of cyprinid origin.

In Vitro↗
USGS1980

Poikilotherm vertebrate cell lines and viruses: A current listing for fishes

A survey of the literature and of work being done in vertebrate cell culture shows that there are currently in existence and available to investigators some 61 cell lines representing 17 families and 36 species of fish. The literature of fish virology shows that at least 17 fish viruses have been isolated and that at least 15 others have been visualized by electron microscopy. A minimum of four major virus groups—rhabdovirus, orthomyxovirus, iridovirus and herpesvirus—are known from fish. Original references, key reviews and sources of cell lines are given.

In Vitro↗
USGS2018

Development of a dual luciferase activity and fluorescamine protein assay adapted to a 384 micro-well plate format: Reducing variability in human luciferase transactivation cell lines aimed at endocrine active substances

There is a need to adapt cell bioassays to 384-well and 1536-well formats instead of the traditional 96-well format as high-throughput screening (HTS) demands increase. However, the sensitivity and performance of the bioassay must be re-verified in these higher micro-well plates, and verification of cell health must also be HT (high-throughput). We have adapted two commonly used human breast luciferase transactivation cell bioassays, the recently re-named estrogen agonist/antagonist screening VM7Luc4E2 cell bioassay (previously designated BG1Luc4E2) and the androgen/glucocorticoid screening MDA-kb2 cell bioassay, to 384-well formats for HTS of endocrine-active substances (EASs). This cost-saving adaptation includes a fast, accurate, and easy measurement of protein amount in each well via the fluorescamine assay with which to normalize luciferase activity of cell lysates without requiring any transfer of the cell lysates. Here we demonstrate that by accounting for protein amount in the cell lysates, antagonistic agents can easily be distinguished from cytotoxic agents in the MDA-kb2 and VM7Luc4E2 cell bioassays. Additionally, we demonstrate via the fluorescamine assay improved interpretation of luciferase activity in wells along the edge of the plate (the so-called “edge effect”), thereby increasing usable wells to the entire plate, not just interior wells.

Toxicology in Vitro↗