Although the toxicity of metal contaminated soils has been assessed with various bioassays, more information is needed about the biochemical responses, which may help to elucidate the mechanisms involved in metal toxicity. We previously reported that the earthworm, Eisenia fetida, accumulates cadmium in its seminal vesicles. The bio-accumulative ability of earthworms is well known, and thus the...

A comparative study was conducted between exotic and local (epigeic--Eisenia fetida and anaecic--Lempito mauritii, respectively) species of earthworms for the evaluation of their efficacy in vermicomposting of municipal solid waste (MSW). Vermicomposting of MSW for 42 days resulted in significant difference between the two species in their performance measured as loss in total organic carbon, c...

Coelomocytes were extruded from three earthworm species: Lumbricus terrestris, Eisenia fetida and Octolasion tyrtaeum. Featuring a simple low-vacuum holding device, the proposed methodology allows the recovery of cells with minimum risk of contamination by faecal material. The viability of O. tyrtaeum coelomocytes was highly reproducible (average 93%), with an average yield of 0.92 x 10(6) viab...

Triclosan as an important antimicrobial agent is increasingly detected in the terrestrial environment as sewage sludge and reclaimed water are applied on land, but little is known about its effect on non-target soil organisms. In this study, biochemical responses including changes in the activity of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and malondialdehyde...

Uptake and elimination kinetics of zinc and cadmium were studied in the oligochaetes Enchytraeus albidus and Eisenia fetida. Even at the highest exposure concentrations where E. fetida survived, the internal zinc concentration was still regulated to a constant level. Enchytraeus albidus could not regulate the internal zinc concentration as well, and the body burden increased after exposure to h...

Pharmaceuticals can enter the soil environment when animal slurries and sewage sludge are applied to land as a fertiliser or during irrigation with contaminated water. These pharmaceuticals may then be taken up by soil organisms possibly resulting in toxic effects and/or exposure of organisms higher up the food chain. This study investigated the influence of soil properties on the uptake and de...

In this study, we used two different types of bioassay, a contact filter paper toxicity bioassay and a soil toxicity bioassay, to compare the acute toxicity of twenty-four insecticides belonging to six chemical categories on earthworm species, Eisenia fetida. Results of the contact filter paper toxicity bioassay indicated that neonicotinoids were super toxic to E. fetida (48 h-LC(50) value rang...