ABSTRACT
The application of microcalorimetric techniques to the development of in vitro toxicity assays using microorganisms appears as a relatively straightforward extension. This chapter provides a brief account of microcalorimetric techniques as applied to studies of growth and inhibition in microorganisms. It attempts to illustrate the remarkable potential of flow microcalorimetry for application in the field of toxicity assessment using microorganisms. By adjusting the rate of nutrient supply to the culture vessel and allowing the system to come to a steady state, it is possible to control precisely the growth rate of a microbial population. The chapter provides a brief examination of various growth and metabolism studies on microorganisms using microcalorimetry. The evaluation of acute toxicity will clearly require different experimental approaches than the evaluation of chronic toxicity, and it is yet unclear which organism, or combination of organisms, would constitute the most useful indicator.
