An Assessment of Potential Threats to Human Health from Algae Blooms in the Indian River Lagoon (USA) 2018–2021: Unique Patterns of Cytotoxicity Associated with Toxins
Esther A. Guzmán,
Tara A. Peterson,
Priscilla L. Winder,
Kirstie T. Francis,
Malcolm McFarland,
Jill C. Roberts,
Jennifer Sandle,
Amy E. Wright
Affiliations
Esther A. Guzmán
The Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
Tara A. Peterson
The Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
Priscilla L. Winder
The Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
Kirstie T. Francis
The Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
Malcolm McFarland
The Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
Jill C. Roberts
The Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
Jennifer Sandle
The Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
Amy E. Wright
The Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA
The Indian River Lagoon (IRL), a 156-mile-long estuary located on the eastern coast of Florida, experiences phytoplankton bloom events due to increased seasonal temperatures coupled with anthropogenic impacts. This study aimed to gather data on the toxicity to human cells and to identify secondary metabolites found in water samples collected in the IRL. Water samples from 20 sites of the IRL were collected during the wet and dry seasons over a three-year period. A panel of cell lines was used to test cytotoxicity. Hemagglutination, hemolysis, and inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) were also measured. Cytotoxic blooms were seen both in the south (Microcystis) and the north (Pyrodinium) of the IRL. Each toxin induced a consistent pattern of cytotoxicity in the panel of human cell lines assayed. During blooms, cytotoxicity due to a single type of toxin is obvious from this pattern. In the absence of blooms, the cytotoxicity seen reflected either a mixture of toxins or it was caused by an unidentified toxin. These observations suggest that other toxins with the potential to be harmful to human health may be present in the IRL. Moreover, the presence of toxins in the IRL is not always associated with blooms of known toxin-producing organisms.
