Human Health Impacts
The goal of this objective is to investigate the chemicals present during Harmful Algal Blooms in the Indian River Lagoon, as well as how they are produced and whether they are toxic to animals or people.
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Toxins produced by HAB events can pose serious threats to human health. For example, a potent saxitoxin, produced by the microalgae Pyrodinium bahamense, was found to cause poisoning in residents that consumed pufferfish and later led to the closure of that fishery in the early 2000鈥檚. Years later, there is still a large knowledge gap regarding the HAB toxins that are present in coastal and estuarine waters and the mechanisms that lead to their production. |
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The unprecedented 鈥渂rown tide鈥� in the Northern IRL led to a massive fish kill that was caused by depleted oxygen levels in the water column. It has also been proposed that unidentified toxins may have contributed to the event. Several species of cyanobacteria are associated with brown tide blooms and their ability to produce toxins have not yet been assessed. As HAB events continue to increase, research focused on the identification, production and impact of toxins is vital. |
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Lead PI: Guojun Wang Phytoplankton have the ability to produce an array of harmful compounds like domoic acid, saxitoxins, brevotoxins and ciguatoxins. While these toxins are coded for within an organism鈥檚 genome, the pathways that lead to their production are in some cases unknown. To learn more about this process, researchers are investigating the genetic material associated with HAB-causing species to determine how toxins are created, factors that initiate production and how levels of these genes correlate to toxin levels in the environment. |
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Lead PI: Amy Wright Research has shown that members of the microbial community can influence the start, development, toxicity and decline of HABs through the production of small organic molecules that are called secondary, or specialized, metabolites. While not necessary for survival, secondary metabolites offer many competitive advantages to the producing organism. These chemicals can play key roles in HAB dynamics by sending signals between members of the microbial community. Researchers are screening samples from the IRL during bloom and non-bloom periods to determine the compounds present and their influence. New toxic substances are also being studied. |
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Lead PI: Esther Guzman Microalgae can produce a suite of toxins, known as phycotoxins, that have the potential to harm humans. The diverse chemical structures of various phycotoxins allow them to affect many different parts of the human body including liver, brain, skin, lung, stomach and blood cells. Researchers are screening both known and newly discovered compounds extracted from IRL water samples to assess their toxicity on different cell lines and gain a better understanding of health threats during bloom events. |