BIOLUMINESCENT REPORTER BACTERIUM AND METHODS FOR TOXICITY MONITORING IN BIOLOGICAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS

摘要

The present invention provides a reporter bacterium, comprising a bacteriumthat occurs naturally in a biological sludge and that contains a nucleic acidthat encodes a reporter protein not found in the naturally occurringbacterium. The nucleic acid can encode a bioluminescent reporter protein. Amethod and apparatus are also provided for detecting the presence of toxicityin a wastewater treatment influent stream, comprising contacting the influentwith a reporter bacterium of the present invention; monitoring the expressionof the reporter protein by the reporter bacterium; and correlating a reductionin the expression of the reporter protein with the presence of toxicity. In anadditional embodiment, the present invention provides a method and apparatusfor determining the effect of a known dose of an oxidative phosphorylationdecoupling agent on biological wastewater sludge, comprising contacting asample of the sludge containing a known dose of the decoupling agent and acontrol sample, with a reporter bacterium of the present invention; comparingthe signal output by the reporter bacteria in the sludge sample containing thedecoupling agent with the signal output by the reporter bacteria in the sludgesample not containing the decoupling agent; and correlating a decrease insignal output in the decoupled sample as compared to the signal output in thecontrol sample with an action of the decoupling agent, whereby the effect ofthe known dose of the decoupling agent is determined.