1 research outputs found
Toxin-Producing <i>Ostreopsis</i> cf. <i>ovata</i> are Likely to Bloom Undetected along Coastal Areas
Mass appearances of the toxic dinoflagellate genus <i>Ostreopsis</i> are known to cause dangerous respiratory symptoms
in humans exposed
to aerosols. The outbreaks can appear in shallow marine waters of
temperate regions around the globe. We followed a massive bloom event
on a public beach on the northern Adriatic coast near Rovinj, Croatia.
We identified the responsible species and the produced toxins as well
as the dynamics of the event with respect to environmental conditions. <i>Ostreopsis</i> cf. <i>ovata</i> appeared in masses
from September through October 2010 on a public beach near Rovinj,
Croatia but stayed undetected by public health organizations. Respiratory
symptoms were observed whenever humans were exposed to substrate samples
containing large numbers of <i>Ostreopsis</i> cells. During
the mass abundance of <i>O.</i> cf. <i>ovata</i> also exposure to the aerosols on the beach evoked respiratory symptoms
in humans. Our measurements showed high cell abundances and high toxin
contents with a stable relative contribution of putative Palytoxin
and Ovatoxins a-e. Artificial beach structures proved to dramatically
reduce settling of the observed <i>Ostreopsis</i> biofilm.
Blooms like those reported herein have a high potential to happen
undetected with a high potential of affecting the health of coastal
human populations. Increased monitoring efforts are therefore required
to understand the ecology and toxicology of those bloom events and
reduce their negative impact on coastal populations