Transgenic stress-inducible strains of Caenorhabditis elegans have been evaluated in biomonitoring applications. The stress response in exposed worms is detectable by in situ staining for ss-galactosidase, and can be quantified using enzymatic assays.
Surfactants amplify the effects of most metal ions tested.
This biomonitoring test is being adapted for use in soils with the PC72 strain. Immunological stress responses are also being evaluated in strain PC72 as a model for the effects of immune responses on parasitic nematodes. Antiserum raised against CTAB-stripped surface antigens gave specific surface labelling of worms. Although this antiserum evoked a significant stress response in PC72 worms, so too did naive rabbit serum. This will necessitate the use of GFP variants in order to reduce the interference from gut autofluorescence.