Dataset Information

Community composition, toxigenicity, and environmental conditions during a cyanobacterial bloom occurring along 1,100 kilometers of the Murray River.

ABSTRACT: A cyanobacterial bloom impacted over 1,100 km of the Murray River, Australia, and its tributaries in 2009. Physicochemical conditions in the river were optimal to support a bloom at the time. The data suggest that at least three blooms occurred concurrently in different sections of the river, with each having a different community composition and associated cyanotoxin profile. Microscopic and genetic analyses suggested the presence of potentially toxic Anabaena circinalis, Microcystis flos-aquae, and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii at many locations. Low concentrations of saxitoxins and cylindrospermopsin were detected in Anabaena and Cylindrospermopsis populations. A multiplex quantitative PCR was used, employing novel oligonucleotide primers and fluorescent TaqMan probes, to examine bloom toxigenicity. This single reaction method identified the presence of the major cyanotoxin-producing species present in these environmental samples and also quantified the various toxin biosynthesis genes. A large number of cells present throughout the bloom were not potential toxin producers or were present in numbers below the limit of detection of the assay and therefore not an immediate health risk. Potential toxin-producing cells, possessing the cylindrospermopsin biosynthesis gene (cyrA), predominated early in the bloom, while those possessing the saxitoxin biosynthesis gene (sxtA) were more common toward its decline. In this study, the concentrations of cyanotoxins measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) correlated positively with the respective toxin gene copy numbers, indicating that the molecular method may be used as a proxy for bloom risk assessment.

SUBMITTER: Al-Tebrineh J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3255628 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Community composition, toxigenicity, and environmental conditions during a cyanobacterial bloom occurring along 1,100 kilometers of the Murray River.

Al-Tebrineh Jamal J Merrick Chester C Ryan David D Humpage Andrew A Bowling Lee L Neilan Brett A BA

Applied and environmental microbiology 20111111 1

A cyanobacterial bloom impacted over 1,100 km of the Murray River, Australia, and its tributaries in 2009. Physicochemical conditions in the river were optimal to support a bloom at the time. The data suggest that at least three blooms occurred concurrently in different sections of the river, with each having a different community composition and associated cyanotoxin profile. Microscopic and genetic analyses suggested the presence of potentially toxic Anabaena circinalis, Microcystis flos-aquae ...[more]

PMID: 22081581

Similar Datasets

Project description:Toxic blooms of cyanobacteria, which can produce cyanotoxins, are prevalent in freshwater, especially in South Korea. Exposure to cyanotoxins via ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact may cause severe diseases. Particularly, toxic cyanobacteria and their cyanotoxins can be aerosolized by a bubble-bursting process associated with a wind-driven wave mechanism. A fundamental question remains regarding the aerosolization of toxic cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins emitted from freshwater bodies during bloom seasons. To evaluate the potential health risk of the aerosolization of toxic cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins, the objectives of this study were as follows: 1) to quantify levels of microcystin in the water and air samples, and 2) to monitor microbial communities, including toxic cyanobacteria in the water and air samples. Water samples were collected from five sites in the Nakdong River, South Korea, from August to September 2022. Air samples were collected using an air pump with a mixed cellulose ester membrane filter. Concentrations of total microcystins were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to investigate microbial communities, including toxic cyanobacteria. Mean concentrations of microcystins were 960 μg/L ranging from 0.73 to 5,337 μg/L in the water samples and 2.48 ng/m3 ranging from 0.1 to 6.8 ng/m3 in the air samples. In addition, in both the water and air samples, predominant bacteria were Microcystis (PCC7914), which has a microcystin-producing gene, and Cyanobium. Particularly, abundance of Microcystis (PCC7914) comprised more than 1.5% of all bacteria in the air samples. This study demonstrates microbial communities with genes related with microcystin synthesis, antibiotic resistance gene, and virulence factors in aerosols generated from cyanobacterial bloom-affected freshwater body. In summary, aerosolization of toxic cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins is a critical concern as an emerging exposure route for potential risk to environmental and human health.

Dataset Information

Community composition, toxigenicity, and environmental conditions during a cyanobacterial bloom occurring along 1,100 kilometers of the Murray River.

Publications

Community composition, toxigenicity, and environmental conditions during a cyanobacterial bloom occurring along 1,100 kilometers of the Murray River.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets