Fluorescence immunolocalization of bound atrazine residues in plant tissue

Bound atrazine was detected in Elodea canadensis by an improved immunohistochemical fluorescence procedure using anti-triazine antibodies from rabbits, biotin-labelled anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G and streptavidin-phycoerythrin conjugate. Whereas no labelling was found in control plants grown in charcoal-filtered, atrazine-free water, the labelling of plants obtained from their natural habitat and grown in tap water was sometimes nearly as high as in samples loaded with atrazine. The efficiency of the immunofluorescence procedure was compared using several antisera obtained by immunizing with different hapten conjugates and purified by various purification methods. The best results were observed with the atrazine analogue ametryn sulfoxide, which was coupled to bovine serum albumin for immunization and to Sepharose for immunoaffinity chromatography. The procedure described in this paper may serve as a general tool for detecting bound pesticide residues in plant material.