Occurrence of Cyanobacteria and Associated Toxins in Surface Water, Relative Risk, and Potential Changes Due to Environmental Factors in the United States

摘要

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms found in surface water and are known to produce multiple classes of harmful toxins with a range of acute and chronic symptoms that can include cytotoxicity, dermatoxicity, gastroenteritis, hepatoxicity, neurotoxicity, respiratory distress, and tumor promotion in mammals and other organisms. Severity of symptoms can range from unnoticeable to death depending on exposure scenarios. Known cyanobacteria toxins (cyanotoxins) are made up of several chemical classes and include anatoxins, cylindrospermopsins, microcystins, nodularins, and saxitoxins, although there are multiple classes of less well known cyanotoxins where research is limited by the availability of adequate standards and methods. While general relationships correlating a variety of water quality, light, and climatic factors with cyanobacteria occurrence, growth, and toxin production have been investigated, much is yet to be learned. National surface water data will be presented summarizing the occurrence of cyanobacteria and the known toxins from across the United States including Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Relative risks due to cyanotoxin exposure and relationships between cyanobacteria, cyanotoxins, and the environment will be discussed.