Harmful Algal Blooms
In September 1991 more than 200 dead cormorants and pelicans washed
up on Monterey Bay shores. Some scientists initially thought a bacterial
infection had killed the birds. On a cruise for the Monterey Bay time
series, MBARI scientists found elevated algal counts, which indicated a
bloom in progress. After weeks of additional sampling and analysis, in
collaboration with other researchers, they determined the cause of the
bird deaths was poisoning by domoic acid, a toxin produced by certain
species of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia.
The incident was the result of one of the hundreds of harmful algal blooms that occur each year around the world, often sickening and killing humans and marine animals, as well as incurring millions of dollars in economic losses due to damaged fisheries and lost tourist revenues.
A postdoctoral researcher with a desire to develop methods for the swift identification of toxic algae set to work to design two methods that use genetic probes for assaying harmful strains of Pseudo-nitzschia and Alexandrium, another toxic microorganism found worldwide. As of 1997, public health and wildlife agencies were employing the probes in coastal areas around the U.S. These advances and the development of additional probes for other harmful organisms hold significant promise for improving global public health responses to harmful algal blooms.
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