Limulus polyphemus are the source of cells for the LAL test used to detect bacterial contamination of surgical tools.
Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) is an aqueous extract of blood cells from the Limulus polyphemus which is used in LAL test. LAL test includes the reaction between LAL and bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is a membrane component of gram-negative bacteria. LAL test is widely used for the detection and quantification of bacterial endotoxins.