Navigation Links
Toxic red tides: USC scientist tracks neurotoxin-producing algae
Date:9/30/2011

With toxic algal blooms which can increase the amount of harmful toxins in the shellfish that California residents consume ramping up in frequency and severity locally, scientists at USC have developed a new algae monitoring method in hopes of one day being able to predict when and where toxic "red tides" will occur.

"We have, what we fear, is a hotspot here for some types of toxic algal blooms," said David Caron, professor of biological sciences at the USC Dornsife College.

Caron's lab developed a quantitative assay, a procedure for measuring the quantity of specific types of algae in water samples taken from the coast. For the past four years, he used it in Redondo Beach's King Harbor to monitor the Alexandrium catenella algae, which produces saxitoxins, a group of neurotoxins that Caron called "one of the most toxic biologically produced chemicals in the world."

"Just like other species, microscopic species conduct warfare chemical warfare," Caron said. Saxitoxins are thought to help A. catenella keep from being eaten and to out-compete other, similar organisms.

Problems with A. catenella occur because the algae are food for clams, mussels, anchovies and sardines.

"That's when we get into trouble, when it gets into something we would eat," Caron said. In humans, the ingestion of saxitoxins causes paralytic shellfish poisoning.

Caron said that the California Department of Public Health does "a great job of keeping us safe" through water sampling, mussel sampling, and regular closures of shellfish harvesting during certain high-risk times of the year.

Over the past 10 years, however, a different type of algae that produces the neurotoxin domoic acid has been increasing on the west coast. Domoic acid produces amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans, and has been the cause of thousands of marine animal deaths off California during the past decade.

The first documented c
'/>"/>

Contact: Robert Perkins
perkinsr@usc.edu
213-740-9226
University of Southern California
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Researchers find high levels of toxic PCBs in Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
2. Dendritic cells in liver protect against acetaminophen toxicity
3. Deepwater Horizon crude less toxic to bird eggs after weathering at sea
4. Bacterial attack strategy uses special delivery of toxic proteins
5. The unsolved mystery of kava toxicity
6. Study shows climate change makes some chemicals more toxic to aquatic life
7. Toxic compounds in groundwater
8. Study finds golden algae responsible for killing millions of fish less toxic in sunlight
9. BGI sequences genome of the deadly E. coli in Germany and reveals new super-toxic strain
10. First Washington green chemistry conference aims to plan for toxics
11. Striking the right balance: JBEI researchers counteract biofuel toxicity in microbes
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/22/2013)... YORK CITY, May 22, 2013 U.S. Forest Service ... team that, with funding from the TKF Foundation, will ... help communities and individuals recover from tragedy. , The ... one of six projects selected for grant funding. In ... and sacred spaces in recovery and resiliency, the 3-year, ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... novel technique that can detect molecular variants in chemical ... of the most important, though time-consuming, processes in analytical ... Nature , post-doctoral researcher David Patterson, Professor of ... Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) in Hamburg, Germany ... to identify molecular variants apart, and to determine how ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... engineering drastically reduces the time and effort needed ... of biotechnology, scientists are reporting. Published in the ... paves the way for more rapid development of ... other activities. , Keith Shearwin and colleagues explain ... genetic material DNA into a bacterium,s genome is ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):'Landscapes of Resilience' to study how people use nature as a source of recovery 2Detecting mirror molecules 2Detecting mirror molecules 3
... Plants harvest energy through the process of photosynthesis, using sunlight ... that regulate the transport of sugars to build different parts ... received a $6.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation ... control the movement of carbohydrates in corn. This research ...
... of personal power pack now in development could help ... With the aim of being up to fifty ... by British infantry, the solar and thermoelectric-powered system could ... The project is being developed by the University ...
... or at least death, are the key to reproduction for the ... the University of KwaZulu-Natal shows that the orchid lures flies into ... study comparing the scent of the orchids with that of roadkill ... http://dx.doi.org10.1093/aob/mcr048 . The orchid S. pumilum is found ...
Cached Biology News:MU researcher leads new $6.6 million study that could lead to better corn plants 2Solar power systems could lighten the load for British soldiers 2Solar power systems could lighten the load for British soldiers 3Orchid wears the scent of death 2
(Date:5/24/2013)... , May 24, 2013 Senomyx , ... proprietary taste science technologies to discover, develop, and commercialize ... Linemeyer , Ph.D., the Company,s Vice President, Biology ... Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, will present an overview ... at 10:25 a.m. Eastern Time (7:25 a.m. Pacific Time) ...
(Date:5/24/2013)... OK (PRWEB) May 24, 2013 The ... casualties. And following its ravage, the mayor of Moore, one ... for new houses, said a report from cnn.com. Reaching out ... tornado victims complimentary Molderizer and Safe Shield to counter the ... the report published on May 22, 2013, caused 24 deaths, ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... England , May 24, 2013 ... Mundipharma angefertigt – Bei der ... , 91 % der Teilnehmer einer groß ... nur 20 % laut GINA [*] -Definition [1] ... dass Menschen mit Asthma generell einer von vier Denkweisen ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 2013  BioScrip, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIOS ) ... Jefferies 2013 Global Healthcare Conference to be held June ... Richard Smith , President and ... , Chief Financial Officer, will present on Monday, June ... About BioScrip BioScrip, Inc. provides comprehensive ...
Breaking Biology Technology:SENOMYX TO WEBCAST CORPORATE PRESENTATION AT THE CITI 2013 GLOBAL CONSUMER CONFERENCE 2Mayor of Oklahoma-Tornado-Impaired Town Proposes Storm Shelter Bill, My Cleaning Products Offers Complimentary Molderizer and Safe Shield to Help Victim with Looming Mold 2Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 2Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 3Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 4Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 5Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 6Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 7
... Sangart, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused ... today announced the receipt of approximately $50 million in ... the exercise of warrants issued by Sangart as part ... The most recent investment brings the total funding ...
... WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., March 12 GEL Interactive ... today it will launch the most recent version of ... NV, March 23-25. GEL will be located in Booth ... its comprehensive event intelligence platform.GEL,s Immerse platform enables customers ...
... Inc. (TSX:SDI) today announced its operational highlights and financial ... , "In 2008, we accomplished several key objectives on ... sepsis for the U.S. market," said Dr. Paul Walker, ... to key terms with Toray Industries, Inc. (Toray) of ...
Cached Biology Technology:Sangart, Inc. Completes Series F Funding Round 2Cadient Group's GEL Interactive Technologies to Launch Immerse(SM) Exhibit 4.0 at EXHIBITOR2009 2Spectral announces 2008 financial results 2Spectral announces 2008 financial results 3Spectral announces 2008 financial results 4Spectral announces 2008 financial results 5Spectral announces 2008 financial results 6Spectral announces 2008 financial results 7Spectral announces 2008 financial results 8
Sheep polyclonal to Staphylococcus DNase ( Abpromise for all tested applications). Antigen: Full length native protein (purified)....
Mouse anti-hepatitis delta virus Class: Antibody Product Group: Bacterial and Viral Antigen...
Allophycocyanin (APC) anti-human CD193 (CCR3, CKR3) 25 tests...
Mouse monoclonal [YLI-90] to Ly49I (Biotin) ( Abpromise for all tested applications)....
Biology Products: