Preliminary Studies for the Use of Bioluminescent Bacteria in the Development of Wireless Biosensors for Environmental Monitoring

摘要

In the last decades the European countries increased the policies related tornenvironmental pollution, in order to improve water quality and people health.rnTo date, environmental monitoring is mainly based on "spot-sampling", or on thernassessment of certain biomarkers in specific contexts. Research in recent years,rnhowever, has revealed several limitations of these methods, such as the inability of arndetailed evaluation over time, and the difficulty in determining the bioavailable portionrnof pollutants, which is the effectively toxic fraction.rnTo overcome such drawbacks bio-based monitoring methods, which include assaysrnbased on whole cells, are under development. Whole cell systems are suitable forrnenvironmental monitoring, where the source and nature of the pollutants cannot bernpredicted, for this reason these biosensors can act as a Biological Early Warning Systemrnor BEWS, which will subsequently be supported by more specific actions and analysis.rnMicroorganisms represent a good opportunity for low cost, long life, pH andrntemperature adaptable, in addition to the ability to detect a broad spectrum of chemicals,rnan ability which can be further improved by using genetic engineering.rnIn this work preliminary tests were made using a Vibrio fischeri strain, in order tornobtain a useful long-term biosensing element coupled to wireless devices to create arnwireless BEWS network, making feasible the idea of a continuous environmentalrnmonitoring.