BSc (Honours), GradDip Education

Contact details for Mr David Ruebhart david_ruebhart@hydrotox.com.au

Thesis

Alternative bioassays for the detection of cyanotoxins

Description

For economic, practical and ethical reasons, alternatives to the mouse bioassay are desired for the detection of cyanobacterial toxins in water.  Thus, this project was commissioned and funded by the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment to investigate possible alternatives.  Microbial and invertebrate bioassays were tested with pure cyanobacterial toxins and aqueous extracts.  It was found that the brine shrimp nauplii bioassay provided a good level of reliability and sensitivity. Also, an insect bioassay was developed providing selective sensitivity to paralytic shellfish toxins present in Anabaena circinalis and pure saxitoxin.

Supervisors

A/Prof Glen Shaw
Adjunct A/Prof Heather Chapman
Dr Andrew Humpage
Dr Wasantha Wickramasinghe

Research expertise 

• Aquatic ecology
• Bioassays
• Biological monitoring
• Cyanobacteria
• Environmental toxicology
  

Publications

• Ruebhart, D.R., Cock, I.E. and Shaw, G.R. (in press) Brine shrimp bioassay: importance of correct taxonomic identification of Artemia (Anostraca) species. Environmental Toxicology
  
• Ruebhart, D.R. Cock, I.E. and Shaw, G.R. (in press) The invasive character of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana Kellogg 1906 (Branchiopoda: Anostraca) and its potential impact on Australian inland hypersaline waters.  Marine and Freshwater Research
  
• Cock, I.E. and Ruebhart, D.R.  (in press) High performance liquid chromatographic separation and identification of toxic fractions from Aloe barbadensis Miller leaf gel using the Artemia nauplii bioassay. Internet Journal of Toxicology
  
• Ruebhart, D.R. Wickramasinghe, W. and Cock, I.E. (in review) Protective efficacy of the antioxidants vitamin E and Trolox against Microcystis aeruginosa, microcystin-LR and menadione toxicity in Artemia franciscana nauplii. Environmental Toxicology