Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) exposure in dogs

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 271-277
Author(s):  
Nicola Bates

Blue-green algae are cyanobacteria that grow in fresh, brackish or sea water. Under certain environmental conditions they form blooms in water bodies and these often colour the water blue-green (or brown, black or red). These blooms have long been known to be associated with animal deaths, occasionally resulting in mass mortality events of wildlife. Cyanotoxins produced by these organisms are neurotoxic, hepatotoxic or, less commonly, dermatotoxic. Gastrointestinal effects may also occur. Signs can be very rapid in onset, particularly with neurotoxic compounds, with death following soon after. Hepatic effects generally occur within 24 hours. Aggressive and rapid treatment is essential with decontamination, liver protectants and supportive care. Survival is rare in animals with significant clinical signs. Not all algal blooms are toxic, however, and confirmation of exposure is rarely available and not within a clinically relevant time frame. Illness and deaths in dogs associated with suspected blue-green algae exposure are signal events and should be reported to the relevant environmental authority to safeguard public and animal health.

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Dembowska

Cyanobacterial blooms in shallow lakes of the Iławskie Lake DistrictThe dominance of blue-green algae observed in many lakes is related to a high trophic level. Shallow eutrophic lakes are particularly often abundant in blue-green algae. The research on phytoplankton, the results of which are presented in this paper, was carried out between 2002 and 2005 in six lakes. These lakes differed considerably in their size and management methods applied in the catchment (drainage) area. A few types of water blooms were distinguished, which is related to the catchment area management, the intensity of mixing and the trophic level. Algal blooms of the Planktothrix type appeared in lakes situated in an open area of agricultural catchment basins. Algal blooms of the Limnothrix type were characteristic of lakes with a forest-agricultural catchment area but surrounded by high shores, which reduced the wind influence on the mixing. Sporadic mixed algal blooms were typical of lakes situated in forest catchment areas.


2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 489-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel D. Olding

Abstract An investigation into phytoplankton and periphyton algal communities of two recently constructed Stormwater management ponds suggests that Stormwater impacts on biological communities are reduced during passage through the ponds, providing a degree of protection for biological communities in their receiving waters. In both ponds, disturbance effects from the incoming Stormwater on algal community richness and evenness appear to be greatest in the sediment forebay and are reduced in the main pond. However, the nature of the disturbance in the two systems can be seen to be fundamentally different from a biological perspective, with Rouge Pond functioning primarily to reduce toxins harmful to algal communities (e.g., heavy metals), and Harding Pond acting to reduce nutrients. The taxonomic composition of the two sites provides an indication of the quality of the incoming Stormwater. Rouge Pond, which contains many marine and brackish water species, receives Stormwater runoff from a major highway, while Harding Pond, containing more nutrient rich species, receives Stormwater primarily from residential properties. Despite the nutrient-rich conditions present in both ponds, nuisance blue-green algae (cyanobacte-ria) are conspicuously absent, and the ponds appear to have little potential for developing harmful algal blooms. The lack of blue-green algae can be linked to the hydraulic functioning of the ponds, suggesting that Stormwater facilities may be engineered to inhibit undesirable algal communities.


Author(s):  
Haidong Liu ◽  
Zhongquan Charlie Zheng ◽  
Bryan Young

In this study, a three-dimensional model coupling hydrodynamics with algae transport dynamics is investigated. The hydrodynamic model solves the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations by a semi-implicit, fractional step method, where the hydrostatic components are determined first and the non-hydrostatic pressure and other components are determined in a subsequent step. Wind velocity on the water surface is accounted for the effect of wind stress on the flow velocities in the hydrodynamic model. Then, the model is coupled with an algae transport model, which enables simulation of algae transport and algal blooms. As an example, the model is implemented to analyze the transition of blue-green algae in Milford Lake, which is the largest man-made lake in Kansas suffering from blue-green algae blooms. The three-dimensional model provides a robust and efficient way for hydrodynamic and algae modeling and can be implemented to studies on different types of rivers and reservoirs easily. The simulated results can be very useful for algae control and prediction in both short and long terms.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Keliri ◽  
Christia Paraskeva ◽  
Angelos Sofokleous ◽  
Assaf Sukenik ◽  
Dariusz Dziga ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Cyanobacteria are phytoplankton microorganisms, also known as blue-green algae, and an essential component of the food web in all aquatic ecosystems. Excess loads of nutrients into waterbodies can cause their rapid and excessive growth which leads to the formation of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyano-HABs). Toxic species of cyanobacteria genera excrete into the water a broad range of bioactive metabolites, some of which are known as cyanotoxins. These metabolites can negatively affect the ecosystem, and human and animal health in various ways, thus their presence needs to be closely monitored. This study aimed to monitor a lake at the Athalassa National Forest Park in Cyprus, in order to correlate its trophic condition with its water quality characteristics and identify the key environmental variables driving cyanobacteria blooming and their toxicity. In addition, surface water during the blooming period was collected and used in bench-scale experiments in order to test novel hydrogen peroxide releasing granules as mitigation processes for cyano-HABs.Results: The monitoring lasted throughout 2019 with ten sampling events taking place during this period. Samples were mainly analyzed for phytoplankton community, and various physicochemical parameters: pH, conductivity, salinity, total and dissolved nutrients. Obtained data indicated that cyanobacteria blooming lasted for four months (June – September), while microscopic observation of preserved samples showed that 99% of the phytoplankton biovolume was attributed to a single picocyanobacterial species, the Merismopedia sp. Select samples were analysed for the presence of toxins genes with positive results mainly for mcyB and mcyE genes. Further analysis with HPLC MS/MS, revealed that cyanotoxins’ concentration was lower than the method detection limit - MDL (<2-6 ng/L). Conclusion: The present study highlights the importance of monitoring several water characteristics to conclude on the main drivers of a bloom and its toxicity. The findings demonstrated that it is not enough to test cyanotoxin genes as indicator of their presence since, in case of mono-domination, cyanobacteria may not be active on producing the toxins. Treatment experiments of contaminated water indicated that slow realizing peroxide granules may be an alternative to hydrogen peroxide. Treatment with CaO2 granules outperformed MgO2 granules due to higher H2O2 releasing capacity.


1985 ◽  
Vol 1985 (1) ◽  
pp. 373-377
Author(s):  
Gustavo Parra-Pardi ◽  
Emery A. Sutton ◽  
Nelson E. Rincón

ABSTRACT On the basis of a one-year program of monthly in situ bioassays and sampling at 10 stations near the incubation site, a study on the effect of petroleum on the massive algal blooms in the northeastern coastal area of Lake Maracaibo has been made. Experiments were conclusive in showing that, although crude oil by itself has an inhibitory effect on phytoplankton, in combination with other factors, mainly a nitrogen/phosphorus (NIP) ratio of 16:1, it can cause a sharp increase in the algal population, favoring Cyanophyta, particulary Anacystis, but generally inhibiting the other two divisions in the lake, Chlorophyta and Chrysophyta. Statistically significant stimulatory interactions of three factors were observed in four experiments, the most striking one being that among oil, NIP ratio, and formation waters, the other three being oil + N/P + EDTA (ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid). True interactions between petroleum and N/P were also observed in five experiments, stimulus running to over 100 times the control assay. The composition of the algal blooms resembled much more closely that of the bioassays when the petroleum was present. Data available supports the explanation that blue-green algae indigenous to Lake Maracaibo, mainly Anacystis, are tolerant of crude oil, while green algae and diatoms are severely inhibited by it, which gives bluegreens an effective advantage in the competition for the nutrients. It adds to the physical, chemical and biological advantages already enjoyed by Cyanophyta in the lake, contributing to an additional promotion of the lake eutrophication.


2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 755-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Simola ◽  
M. Wiberg ◽  
J. Jokela ◽  
M. Wahlsten ◽  
K. Sivonen ◽  
...  

A 3-year-old Cairn Terrier dog that had been in contact with sea water containing cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) was euthanized because of acute hepatic failure and anuria after a 5-day illness. Histologic findings included lytic and hemorrhagic centrilobular hepatocellular necrosis and renal tubular necrosis. The cyanotoxin nodularin was detected in liver and kidney by high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Nodularin is a potent hepatotoxin produced by the algal species Nodularia spumigena. The intensity of algal blooms has increased during the past decades in the Baltic Sea region, thus increasing the risk for intoxications in domestic and wild animals. The authors describe the pathologic findings of cyanobacterial toxicosis in a dog with direct identification of the toxin from organ samples.


Author(s):  
L. V. Leak

Electron microscopic observations of freeze-fracture replicas of Anabaena cells obtained by the procedures described by Bullivant and Ames (J. Cell Biol., 1966) indicate that the frozen cells are fractured in many different planes. This fracturing or cleaving along various planes allows one to gain a three dimensional relation of the cellular components as a result of such a manipulation. When replicas that are obtained by the freeze-fracture method are observed in the electron microscope, cross fractures of the cell wall and membranes that comprise the photosynthetic lamellae are apparent as demonstrated in Figures 1 & 2.A large portion of the Anabaena cell is composed of undulating layers of cytoplasm that are bounded by unit membranes that comprise the photosynthetic membranes. The adjoining layers of cytoplasm are closely apposed to each other to form the photosynthetic lamellae. Occassionally the adjacent layers of cytoplasm are separated by an interspace that may vary in widths of up to several 100 mu to form intralamellar vesicles.


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