Adopt a Lake: Successfully Tracking Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms in Canadian Surface Waters Through Citizen Science

The proliferation of harmful waterborne cyanobacterial algal blooms, some of which can produce potent toxins, poses severe risks to environmental and human health. Academic and governmental monitoring efforts may be constrained by budget, time, and staff, and thus miss otherwise significant pollution events. Here, we report on the implementation of a citizen science project to track harmful cyanobacterial blooms in lakes and waterways across Canada. Through both crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, the Adopt a Lake (Adopt a Lake 2022) campaign aimed to document the potential presence of cyanobacteria and toxins with the assistance of participants, thus improving public awareness of the issue of water quality preservation. Using social media, participants were encouraged to participate in the initiative by collecting samples during a bloom from a nearby pond or by making a financial contribution to support the initiative. Adopt a Lake benefitted from the analytical platform of Algal Blooms Treatment, Risk Assessment, Predictions, and Prevention (ATRAPP), a research project focused on the prediction and management of harmful cyanobacterial blooms. The presence of cyanotoxins, which can confirm whether a lake has a toxic bloom, was determined through high-resolution mass spectrometry analyses. This paper presents an overview of the implementation of the Adopt a Lake initiative, the campaign’s status, and the lessons learned, and it argues the importance of continual monitoring of cyanobacterial blooms

Using citizen science to track harmful cyanobacterial blooms through crowdsourcing and crowdfunding - Adopt a Lake project

The proliferation of waterborne cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs), some of which can produce potent toxins, poses serious risks for environmental and human health. Academic and governmental monitoring efforts may be constrained by budget, time, and staff, and thus miss otherwise significant pollution events. Here, we report on the implementation of a citizen science project to track CyanoHABs in lakes and waterways across Canada. Through both crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, Adopt a Lake aimed to document the potential presence of cyanobacteria and toxins with the assistance of citizens, altogether improving public awareness to the issue of water quality preservation. Diverse water ancillary parameters were measured, combining in situ analyses by volunteers for basic water physico-chemical parameters. Samples were sent to the laboratory for more complex analyses including nutrients analysis, multiclass cyanotoxins (microcystins, anabaenopeptins, cylindrospermopsin and anatoxins) using online SPE-UHPLC-HRMS and sequencing the 16S rRNA gene as a taxonomic marker for bacteria. Data analysis of four years of sampling revealed problematic lakes that could be used to further the study of HAB occurrence

A missense mutation in factor I (IF) predisposes to atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome.

Item does not contain fulltextA genetic predisposition involving complement regulatory genes has become evident in some patients with atypical HUS. In this paper, a patient with a heterozygous missense mutation in factor I (IF) is described. Although the serum level of IF was normal, a mild functional defect in the alternative pathway of complement could be demonstrated in the affected members of the family. After an episode of atypical HUS, chronic renal insufficiency started at the age of 15 months. Recurrence of HUS, with loss of the renal transplant, occurred twice in this patient. The recurrence of HUS in the graft was not reflected by haematological abnormalities (haemolysis, thrombocytopenia). One additional transplant was lost due to arterial thrombosis of the renal artery. This report confirms the gloomy outcome of renal transplants in patients with an IF deficiency. New therapies should be evaluated in these patients