[Comamonas testosteroni strain TI as a potential base for a microbial sensor detecting surfactants].

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Microbiology
• Biosensor Technology

Background:

• Nonionic surfactants (NIS), such as nonylphenolethoxylate (OP-10), are widely used but pose environmental concerns.
• Developing sensitive and specific detection methods for NIS is crucial for environmental monitoring.
• Previous biosensors have limitations in specificity or stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct and characterize a pilot cellular biosensor for detecting nonylphenolethoxylate (OP-10).
• To evaluate the substrate specificity and stability of the developed biosensor.
• To compare the performance of the new biosensor with existing technologies.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Comamonas testosteroni TI, a bacterium known for degrading nonylphenolethoxylate (OP-10).
• Constructed a pilot cellular biosensor based on this bacterial strain.
• Assessed biosensor performance including detection limit, substrate specificity against various organic compounds (surfactants, PAC, carbohydrates, alcohols), and response stability over time.

Main Results:

• The biosensor achieved a lower detection limit of 0.25 mg/l for nonylphenolethoxylate (OP-10).
• Demonstrated specificity, notably not responding to glucose, an improvement over prior biosensors.
• The sensor response amplitude remained stable for a period of 10 days.

Conclusions:

• Comamonas testosteroni TI is effective for constructing a stable and specific cellular biosensor for nonylphenolethoxylate (OP-10) detection.
• The biosensor offers improved specificity compared to previous models, reducing false positives.
• The developed biosensor shows potential for reliable environmental monitoring of nonionic surfactants.