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Evidence that variability in ambient fathead minnow short‐term chronic tests is due to pathogenic infection

An examination of results from ambient fathead minnow subchronic toxicity tests identified a common characteristic of the tests, which manifests itself as a large among‐replicate and between‐test variance in survival. The unusual replicate‐specific mortality in tests with ambient water appears to be due to pathogenic bacteria or fungi. This finding is based on the following facts: a comparison of survival among replicates in effluents and ambient waters showed that when mean survival was low (40‐70%), among‐replicate variation for ambient tests was greater than it was for the effluent tests; in 63 tests conducted at three locations over nearly 3 years, treating the water with ultraviolet (UV) light improved survival; a seasonal pattern to survival was present at ambient sites; survival was higher when minnows were separated by using 1 minnow/beaker rather than the standard system of 10 minnows/beaker; and survival tended to be higher in ambient sites contaminated with low levels of chlorine. The existence of the pathogen(s) does not mean that the test cannot be used effectively to assess toxicity of ambient waters; instead, it indicates that factors other than toxicity may need to be taken into consideration when interpreting the results.