Cattle mortality attributed to the toxic cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in an outback region of North Queensland

Three cows and ten calves were found dead near a farm dam on a cattle property at McKinlay in northwest Queensland, Australia. At that time, the dam contained an algal bloom which was identified as a monoculture of the cyanobacterium C. raciborskii. Histological examination of the liver of a calf carcass showed signs consistent with poisoning caused by hepatotoxin. The hepatotoxic alkaloid cylindrospermopsin was detected in material harvested from the dam (4.1×10-15 g cell-1) and in a pure culture of an isolate from the bloom (4.4×10-15 g cell-1). An extract of this material was lethal to mice after 24 h at an intraperitoneal concentration of 153 mg kg-1. This appears to be the first report of animal poisonings attributed to the cyanobacterium C. raciborskii

The relationship between phosphorus fractions, phosphatase activity and fertility in three rain forest soils

This study investigates the availability of phosphorus and the forms of bound soil phosphorus present in three rain forest stands in north eastern Queensland. The soil types investigated differed significantly with respect to total soil phosphorus, with fertility decreasing in soils from basaltic to alluvial to granitic origin. At all sites only a small proportion of total phosphorus was available for plant uptake, with most being bound in organic matter and inorganic forms. A pot experiment was set up with Alphitonia petriei which was grown in soil collected from each of the three sites. After four months there was a significant difference in the dry weights, with plants showing stunted growth in the granitic soil collected from the site with the lower available phosphorus concentrations. These plants also had significantly higher root to shoot ratios and lower intracellular concentrations of phosphorus. Root phosphatase activity was greater for plants grown in soil low in available phosphorus

Cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii as a probable cause of death in cattle in northern Queensland

Livestock deaths due to cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) poisoning have mainly been caused by toxic strains of Anabaena circinalis, A spiroides, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Microcystis aeruginosa and Nodularia spumigena(1-5). In Australia, cattle and sheep have since 1878 succumbed to cyanobacterial poisoning caused by A circinalis, M aeruginosa and N spumigena(1, 6-8). The possibility of another cyanobacterium being a cause of poisoning in man and animals in Australia was raised by Hayman in 1992(9). He suggested that the signs of the illness known as Barcoo fever, which has been known in northern Australia since the 1880s, were reminiscent of those caused by the tropical cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii. The severity of illness, although it only manifested in the mildest form of nausea and fever, was related to the amount of water ingested from contaminated water supplies(9). During the same time, there have been numerous anecdotes about losses of cattle and sheep in northern and western Queensland after drinking from dams and waterholes contaminated with scum or ‘paint slicks’ indicative of cyanobacteria. In 1992, stock poisoning due to C raciborskii was suspected in Western Australia(10). This article reports the death of three cows and ten calves due to suspected poisoning by cyanobacterium C raciborskii on a property in the McKinley Shire of northern Queensland

Cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii as a probable cause of death in cattle in northern Queensland

[Extract] Livestock deaths due to cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) poisoning have mainly been caused by toxic strains of Anabaena circinalis, A spiroides, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Microcystis aeruginosa and Nodularia spumigena. In Australia, cattle and sheep have since 1878 succumbed to cyanobacterial poisoning caused by A circinalis, M aeruginosa and N spumigena.\ud \ud The possibility of another cyanobacterium being a cause of poisoning in man and animals in Australia was raised by Hayman in 1992. He suggested that the signs of the illness known as Barcoo fever, which has been known in northern Australia since the 1880s, were reminiscent of those caused by the tropical cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii. The severity of illness, although it only manifested in the mildest form of nausea and fever, was related to the amount of water ingested from contaminated water supplies. During the same time, there have been numerous anecdotes about losses of cattle and sheep in northern and western Queensland after drinking from dams and waterholes contaminated with scum or ‘paint slicks’ indicative of cyanobacteria. In 1992, stock poisoning due to C raciborskii was suspected in Western Australia

Genetic correlation between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and schizophrenia

We have previously shown higher-than-expected rates of schizophrenia in relatives of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), suggesting an aetiological relationship between the diseases. Here, we investigate the genetic relationship between ALS and schizophrenia using genome-wide association study data from over 100,000 unique individuals. Using linkage disequilibrium score regression, we estimate the genetic correlation between ALS and schizophrenia to be 14.3% (7.05-21.6; P=1 × 10) with schizophrenia polygenic risk scores explaining up to 0.12% of the variance in ALS (P=8.4 × 10). A modest increase in comorbidity of ALS and schizophrenia is expected given these findings (odds ratio 1.08-1.26) but this would require very large studies to observe epidemiologically. We identify five potential novel ALS-associated loci using conditional false discovery rate analysis. It is likely that shared neurobiological mechanisms between these two disorders will engender novel hypotheses in future preclinical and clinical studies