This book describes the present state of knowledge regarding the impact of cyanobacteria on health through the use of water. It considers aspects of risk management and details the information needed for protecting drinking water sources and recreational water bodies from the health hazards caused by cyanobacteria and their toxins. It also outlines the state of knowledge regarding the principal considerations in the design of programmes and studies for monitoring water resources and supplies and describes the approaches and procedures used.
The development of this publication was guided by the recommendations of several expert meetings concerning drinking water (Geneva, December 1995; Bad Elster, June
1996) and recreational water (Bad Elster, June 1996; St Helier, May 1997). An expert meeting in Bad Elster, April 1997, critically reviewed the literature concerning the toxicity of cyanotoxins and developed the scope and content of this book. A draft manuscript was reviewed at an editorial meeting in November 1997, and a further draft was
reviewed by the working group responsible for updating the Guidelines for Drinkingwater Quality in March 1998.

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Toxic cyanobacteria in water: a guide to their public health consequences, monitoring and management.

Cyanobacteria secondary metabolites--the cyanotoxins.

(2002). The Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms on Aquatic Organisms. Reviews in Fisheries Science: Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 113-390.

The Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms on Aquatic Organisms

Background Hemodialysis is a common but potentially hazardous procedure. From February 17 to 20, 1996, 116 of 130 patients (89 percent) at a dialysis center (dialysis center A) in Caruaru, Brazil, had visual disturbances, nausea, and vomiting associated with hemodialysis. By March 24, 26 of the patients had died of acute liver failure. Methods A case patient was defined as any patient undergoing dialysis at dialysis center A or Caruaru's other dialysis center (dialysis center B) during February 1996 who had acute liver failure. To determine the risk factors for and the source of the outbreak, we conducted a cohort study of the 130 patients at dialysis center A and the 47 patients at dialysis center B, reviewed the centers' water supplies, and collected water, patients' serum, and postmortem liver tissue for microcystin assays. Results One hundred one patients (all at dialysis center A) met the case definition, and 50 died. Affected patients who died were older than those who survived (median age, 47 vs. 3...

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Liver Failure and Death after Exposure to Microcystins at a Hemodialysis Center in Brazil

Cyanobacterial secondary metabolites have attracted increasing scientific interest due to bioactivity of many compounds in various test systems. Among the known structures, oligopeptides are often found with many congeners sharing conserved substructures, while being highly variable in others. A major part of known oligopeptides are of non-ribosomal origin and can be grouped into classes with conserved structural properties. Thus, the overall structural diversity of cyanobacterial oligopeptides only seemingly suggests an equally high diversity of biosynthetic pathways and respective genes. For each class of peptides, some of which have been found in all major branches of the cyanobacterial evolutionary tree, homologous synthetases and genes can be inferred. This implies that non-ribosomal peptide synthetase genes are a very ancient part of the cyanobacterial genome and presumably have evolved by recombination and duplication events to reach the present structural diversity of cyanobacterial oligopeptides. In addition, peptide synthetases would appear to be an essential part of the cyanobacterial evolution and physiology. The present review presents an overview of the biosynthesis of cyanobacterial peptides and corresponding gene clusters, the structural diversity of structural types and structural variations within peptide classes, and implications for the evolution and plasticity of biosynthetic genes and the potential function of cyanobacterial peptides.

Cyanobacterial peptides – Nature's own combinatorial biosynthesis

Identification of 12 hepatotoxins from a homer lake bloom of the cyanobacteria microcystis aeruginosa microcystis viridis and microcystis wesenbergii nine new microcystins

Structural modifications imparting reduced toxicity in microcystins from Microcystis spp.

Distribution of tritiated dihydromicrocystin in swine

Toxicokinetics of tritiated dihydromicrocystin-LR in swine

: Tritiated dihydromicrocystin-LR ((3H)2H-MCLR) plus 2H-MCLR were given to anesthetized pigs IV or via an ileal loop. over half the radiolabel in blood at one minute after dosing IV was cleared by 6 minutes; clearance at 25 micrograms/kg was faster than at 75 micrograms/kg. At 75 micrograms/kg via the ileum, the blood concentration peaked at 90 minutes, and the concentration in portal blood was 3.6 times greater than in peripheral blood. Radioactivity was first detected in bile at 12 minutes post-dosing. At 4 hours after dosing IV at 25 or 75 ug/kg, and at 5 hours after dosing via the ileal loop at 75 micrograms/ kg, radiolabel was distributed as follows: liver (64.6, 46.99, and 49.5 percent of total dose %TD), kidneys (1.2, 2.19, and 1.04 %TD), lungs (1.75, 0.55, and 0. 65 %TD), heart (0.22, 0.23, and 0.81 %TD), ileum (0.13, 0.20, and 33.94 %TD), and spleen (0.04, 0.07, and 0.16% %TD), respectively. Most hepatic radiolabel was attributable to parent compound, although two minor radioactive components were isolated. Previous evidence indicating inhibition of protein phosphatases by intact microcystins and the observation that nearly all 3H 2H-MCLR in the liver was parent compound during lesion development suggest that microcystins are toxicologically active in vivo as parent compounds. Microcystin, Blue-green algae, Cyanobacteria, Toxin, Liver, Fate, Toxicokinetics, Pharmacokinetics, Lesions, Toxicity.

Richard R. Stotts

Papers

Identification of 12 hepatotoxins from a homer lake bloom of the cyanobacteria microcystis aeruginosa microcystis viridis and microcystis wesenbergii nine new microcystins

Structural modifications imparting reduced toxicity in microcystins from Microcystis spp.

Distribution of tritiated dihydromicrocystin in swine

Toxicokinetics of tritiated dihydromicrocystin-LR in swine

Toxicokinetics of Microcystin and Dihydro-Microcystin in Swine