Fish egg test
The fish egg has since January 2005 the fish test as a tool to study the toxicity of effluents replaced. In its currently valid version according to DIN EN ISO 15088, the fish egg test is part of the "German standard procedure for water, waste water and sludge testing".
It is based on the fact that fertilized fish eggs , when exposed to toxic waste water, can not develop properly due to the teratogenic effects of the toxins they contain. A total of 60 healthy, fertilized zebrafish eggs are selected for the test, which are then examined for the following lethal and non-lethal malformations :
Lethal malformations:
- Coagulation of the Eggs
- Absence of the somites
- No recognizable heartbeat
- No detachment of the tail from the yolk
Non-lethal malformations:
- Absence of the eye systems
- Lack of pigmentation
- No movements
- Tissue change
- Deformations