Harmful Algae News
An IOC Newsletter on Toxic Algae and Algal Blooms
No. 65 - September 2020 www.ioc-unesco.org/hab
Genomic resources for the domoic
acid-producing diatom Pseudo-nitzschia
multistriata
Species responsible for Harmful Algal
Blooms (HABs) are among the best
studied unicellular microalgae. HABs
pose a serious risk to human health and
are responsible for considerable economic losses in the aquaculture industry which has resulted in the funding
of monitoring programs to investigate
their temporal and spatial distribution,
as well as research projects aimed at
understanding various aspects of their
biology. In recent decades, understanding about HAB diversity, physiology and
trophic habits, the mechanisms that
regulate toxin production, and the role
of environmental variables and interactions with other members of the
plankton community on their growth
dynamics has increased. The rapid development of genomic- and transcriptomic-based approaches, now available
for an increasing number of unicellular
eukaryotes including HAB species, is allowing scientists to gain a mechanistic
understanding of a broad range of biological features.
The genus Pseudo-nitzschia includes
the majority of species that produce the
neurotoxin domoic acid, the causative
agent of Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning.
About 50 species have been described
to date and half of these are known to
produce domoic acid. The importance
of this genus motivated the selection of
one of the most toxic species, Pseudonitzschia multiseries, to be one of the few
Content
Featured article: Genomic
resources for the domoic
acid-producing Pseudo-nitzschia
multistriata (Mariella Ferrante
& Marina Montresor) ..................... 1
Cyanobacterial and microalgal toxic HABs
When tides collide: Freshwater
CyanoHABs and Karenia brevis
in Florida ............................................. 4
Record levels of DTX2 and
Dinophysis acuta in Douarnenez
Bay, France . ........................................ 6
Benthic HABs
Ostreopsis diversity in French
Polynesia ............................................. 8
Toxins of Gambierdiscus lapillus
from the Cook Islands .................... 10
Macroalgal HABs
Red alga Ceramiumin Cartagena,
Colombia, SW Caribbean Sea ...... 12
High Biomass and Fish Killer
HABs
Karlodinium distribution in the
Johor Strait, Malaysia ..................... 14
Red tides of Akashiwo sanguineain Semerak Lagoon, Malaysia . 15
HAB projects
CLEFSA EU project on food
safety threats posed by HABs
and climate change ......................... 17
Blooming Buddies: Master
Research Project on Freshwater
Cyano HABs ........................................ 19
Training, Cooperation and
Networking
25th anniversary of the IOC
Centre in Copenhagen ................... 21
International Phytoplankton
Intercomparison (IPI) exercise . 22
Fig. 1. A. Light micrograph of a natural phytoplankton sample collected at the Long Term
Ecological Research station MareChiara (Gulf of Naples, Italy) on October 3rd 2013. Pseudonitzschia multistriata cells (a chain is indicated with an arrow) can be easily identified by
their slightly sigmoid shape. Photo: Marina Montresor. Two Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata cells
approaching cell division, B. bright field, C. chlorophyll autofluorescence in the chloroplasts,
and D. merged images.
NEW
Canadian review on marine
HABs and phycotoxins . ................. 23
ISSHA: 18 ICHA Proceedings
on-line . ................................................. 26
Harmful Algae News An IOC Newsletter on Toxic Algae and Algal Blooms No. 65 - September 2020 www.ioc-unesco.org/hab Genomic resources for the domoic acid-producing diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata Species responsible for Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are among the best studied unicellular microa
Fig. 2. Schematic drawing of the life cycle of the pennate diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata. The vegetative phase is characterized by progressive cell size reduction of the population. When cells reach the sexual size threshold (SST), they can either keep decreasing in size until they die, or un
Fig. 3. The genome browser available on the SZN BioInforma platform. The genome could be sequenced exploiting inbred strains, obtained from the cross of a first generation of sibling strains [7]. Because of the lower polymorphism of inbreds, it was possible to reconstruct long fragments of DNA from
When tides collide: Harmful cyanobacterial and microalgal blooms in Florida and implications for risk assessment Cyanobacterial blooms are a regular occurrence in southern Florida. Water releases from Lake Okeechobee to maintain the water level in this large lake regularly occur along the St. Lucie
Pim and Calusa Waterkeepers for assistance in sampling. References 1. Metcalf JS et al (in press). Neurotox Res 2. Matthiensen et al 2000. In: de Koe WJ et al (eds), Mycotoxins and Phycotoxins in Perspective at the Turn of the Millenium. Proc Xth Int IUPAC symposium on Mycotoxins and Phycotoxins, Gu
Record levels of Dinophysistoxin-2 in clams from Douarnenez Bay, France, after an unusual bloom of Dinophysis acuta Fig. 1. Location of Douarnenez Bay (48 5 29 North; 4 19 51 West), Western French Atlantic coast. The official monitoring network for phytoplankton and algal toxins in French shellfis
Fig. 4. Weekly lipophilic toxin concentrations in Donax spp. in 2019 and 2020. Fig. 3. (A) Percentage of Dinophysis species in Douarnenez Bay water samples between 2010 and August 2020. (B) Mean percentage of DSP toxins in Douarnenez Bay in Donax spp. between 2010 and August 2020. recorded in Dona
New insights on the diversity of the dinoflagellate genus Ostreopsis in lagoons of French Polynesia, South Pacific Ocean French Polynesia is a vast territory in the South Pacific Ocean, stretching over an expanse of more than 1,200 miles with a surface area as large as Europe. It is composed of 118
health hazards posed by the proliferation of this species in French Polynesian lagoons. Future studies should aim at developing a better understanding the biogeographic distribution of this species, as well as assessing the impacts of its associated toxins on coral reef ecosystems and/or putative ac
Toxin profiles of Gambierdiscus lapillus from the Cook Islands Species of the dinoflagellate genus Gambierdiscus produce the toxins responsible for ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), an illness that has been prevalent throughout the Pacific and particularly in the Cook Islands [1]. The illness is cause
Fig. 3. Phylogenetic analysis of partial large subunit ribosomal DNA sequences (D8D10 region) from the Gambierdiscus strains isolated in this study (in bold font) using Bayesian analyses. Values at nodes represent Bayesian posterior probability support. Scale bar is substitutions per site. lus was
Unusual bloom of the red alga Ceramium sp. (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta) in Cartagena, Colombia, SW Caribbean Sea Fig. 1. Map of the study site. Macroalgal blooms are frequently associated with eutrophication of coastal waters [1]. These blooms are mainly composed of ephemeral and opportunistic green a
ported as bloom forming species, and this finding adds another genus to the group of harmful bloom-forming macroalgae. Furthermore, this report highlights the potential introduction of a new species which has passed undetected until now. This would not be the first case of a potentially introduced b
Distribution of the fish-killing dinoflagellate Karlodinium (Dinophyceae) in the Johor Strait, Malaysia Fig. 1. Sampling sites in the Johor Strait Species of Karlodinium are naked dinoflagellates. More than one third of the named species have been known to cause fish mortality. Toxigenic Karlod-
Bloom of a red tide species Akashiwo sanguinea in Semerak Lagoon, Kelantan, Malaysia March 2016: i.e. Pseudo-nitzschia spp. (potentially toxic species), Chaetoceros, Skeletonema, and Blixaea quinquecornis (red tides, fish kills) [3]. In this survey, we confirmed the blooming species as the dinoflag
Fig. 3 Bayesian trees of Akashiwo sanguinea inferred from (A) LSU rDNA and (B) ITS datasets. Values on nodes represent bootstrap supports of MP, ML, and posterior probabilities of BI Continued from page 14 sulcus extension invading the epicone is visible (Fig. 3B). Cells are slightly pigmented, wi
CLEFSA project identifies Harmful Algal Blooms as a threat to food safety resulting from climate change Fig. 1. Organizations involved in the CLEFSA project Climate change is one of the key drivers of emerging risks for food and feed safety, plant and animal health (including terrestrial and aquat
Fig. 3. CLEFSA Multi-Criteria strategy which several directly related to toxins produced by harmful algal blooms (HABs). These include: ciguatoxin, domoic acid, okadaic acid, saxitoxin, pinnatoxin, tetrodotoxin, beta-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and palytoxin analogues. The analysis indicates that
Blooming Buddies: MSc Research Projects Extend our Knowledge on Bloom-Forming Freshwater Cyanobacteria Freshwater cyanobacteria blooms are an increasing problem globally and much work is focussing on understanding bloom dynamics and toxin production in order to better manage the inherent health risk
Fig. 2. Confocal microscopy images of Planktothrix sp. CAWBG59 (A), Microcystis aeruginosa CAWBG617 (B) and Nodularia spumigena CAWBG21 (C) stained with SYTOXTM green so that lysed cells fluoresce green, whilst intact cells are detected by red chlorophyll autofluorescence. bacterium interfering wit
25 years of service enhancing the capacity to monitor and manage HABs Fig. 1. Participants from the first course held at the IOC Centre in Copenhagen in 1995 The IOC Science and Communication Centre on Harmful Algae opened in May 1995 at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was a new concept
International Phytoplankton Intercomparison (IPI) exercise in abundance and composition of marine microalgae Dear participants of the annual IPI (International Phytoplankton Intercomparison) exercise in abundance and composition of marine microalgae: This note is to confirm that due to the ongoing p
Canadian review: Marine harmful algal blooms and phycotoxins of concern to Canada As has been reinforced all too well in recent months with the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is indeed interconnected. The international harmful algal bloom community recognized this early on, with a series of internatio
Fig. 2. Maps showing the location of selected phycotoxins on the Canadian east (left) and west (right) coast. Symbols represent domoic acid and okadaic acid group toxins above (closed symbols) and below (open symbols) the regulatory action level. The green shaded areas show the distribution of saxit
Terri Wells (DFO-NAFC, St. Johns, NL); Michel Poulin (Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, ON); Wade A. Rourke (CFIA, Dartmouth, NS). Fig. 4. Heterosigma akashiwo bloom in Kyuquot, British Columbia, 1996 (Photo courtesy of Nicky Haigh, Microthalassia Consultants Inc., Nanaimo, BC) References 1. LoCi
ISSHAs Corner CHA 2021 Hybrid Conference, NEW DATE!! Dear ISSHA members and colleagues: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and following recommendations of the World Health Organization and National Health Authorities, the 19th International Conference on Harmful Algae has been postponed to October 10-15
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