Bacterial urinary assay in monitoring exposure to mutagens and carcinogens

The bacterial bioassay procedure provides a sensitive test for the presence of mutagenic activity in urine. Its sensitivity for detecting the presence of individual chemicals may not be as high as that of specific analytical methods, but it has the following advantages: (1) many substances and metabolites may be active in a single assay, making it possible to detect mutagenic activity from unanticipated sources; (2) biological activity is demonstrated, rather than simply the presence of substances; or (3) the assay may also reflect the 'integrated' effect of multiple substances, although this capability has not been well characterized and (4) the assay can be easily coupled with a chemical analysis. The chief disadvantages of the test system are lack of sensitivity for certain specific substances, as compared to chemical techniques, and possible interference from substances normally present in urine (such as amino acids). The urinary mutagenicity assay is most useful when exposure to carcinogens and mutagens is suspected but when the specific chemical is unknown, when chemical analytical techniques are not available or when exposure is to undefined complex mixtures.