In this study, the Klebsiella oxytoca bacterium was used as a test organism in short-term toxicity evaluations, and Escherichia coli was used as reference. The inhibition of bacterial growth was quantified by flow injection analysis (FIA) via conductometric measurements of the CO2 produced during respiration. The results were expressed as effective concentration (EC50) values. K. oxytoca was more resistant than E. coli in respect to growth inhibition. The metal sensitivity order for K. oxytoca was found to be Hg2+ > Cd2+ > Cu2+ and Hg2+ > Cu2+ > Cd2+ for E. coli. The sensitivity to the Laborhex 2 detergent (active ingredient: chlorhexidine digluconate) was 1.55 ± 0.32 mg L-1 and 0.32 ± 0.10 mg L-1 for K. oxytoca and E. coli, respectively. The bacteria showed comparable sensitivities to the Riodeine Degermant detergent (active ingredient: polyvinyl pyrrolidone-iodine-PVP-I), of 11.0 ± 1.7 mg L-1 and 12.0 ± 2.0 mg L-1, for K. oxytoca and E. coli, respectively.
short-term toxicity test; Klebsiella oxytoca; Escherichia coli; heavy metals; hospital detergents
