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(242) A multidisciplinary approach using Anodonta cygnea as an indicator of pollution by pesticides. Robillard, Sophie1, Vachoux, Christelle1, Poliak, Sylvie2, Laulier, Marc1, 1 2 ABSTRACT- Even though the chemical pollution of rivers is constantly monitored, the real impact of this pollution on organisms is partially unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficiency of the Anodonta cygnea as a biological tool for diagnosing contamination of fresh water environments by pesticides. It was done by using and evaluating the sensitivity of the following biomarkers: glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) in digestive glands, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in gills. A year long monitoring program (ending February 2001) using caged mussels is being performed with an unpolluted reference site and two sites thought polluted on the Sarthe River, France. The first transplanted site being situated in a rural zone and the second in an urban region. In parallel, the pesticide levels of all three sites are being monitored.Preliminary results point out that the measured A. cygnea biomarkers are strongly reacting to pesticide variations. GST activities are showing significant variations in animals from different sites, with highest specific activities always observed in samples taken from both thought polluted sites. At the moment, no differences between sites are being observed concerning CAT activities. AChE activity analysis are in process. Key words: pesticides , Anodonta cygnea, biomarkers, caging |
