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Toxicity and Toxin Composition of Microcystis aeruginosa from Wangsong Reservoir

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Abstract

Objective

The increasing world population, resulting in increased anthropogenic water pollution, is negatively impacting the limited available water resources. In South Korea, this similarly affects the water quality of reservoirs. As water is a basic necessity for life, water quality monitoring is essential but typically does not include toxicity testing. However, as toxic bloom event frequencies are increasing, this previously neglected aspect becomes pertinent. Therefore, in the present study, the toxin composition and toxicity of a Microcystis aeruginosa strain isolated from a persistent bloom in lake Wangsong, South Korea, was investigated.

Methods

A combination of bioassays and chemical analysis was used for this purpose. The bioassay species included terrestrial and aquatic plants, an alga, a rotifer, a tubificid annelid, and crustaceans, representing various trophic levels.

Results

The strain was found to produce microcystin-LR, -RR, and YR, as well as β-N-methylamino-L-alanine. The bioassays indicated that the primary producers were less sensitive to the crude extract.

Conclusion

The presence or absence of a visible cyanobacterial bloom is also not an indication of the toxins that may be present in the afflicted waters, and thus does not predict exposure risk. Similarly, the presence and absence of toxins and mixtures thereof does not indicate the ecological effect. Therefore, it would be advantages to include toxicity testing into routine water testing regimes to better understand the impact of harmful algal blooms.

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Author notes

  1. Stephan Pflugmacher

    Present address: Current affiliation: Ecosystems and Environmental Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Niemenkatu 73, 15140, Lahti, Finland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecotoxicological Impact Research and Ecotoxicology, Technische Universität Berlin, Ernst-Reuter-Platz 1, 10587, Berlin, Germany

    Maranda Esterhuizen-Londt, Mi-Hee Ha & Stephan Pflugmacher

  2. Korea Institute of Science and Technology Europe (KIST), Joint Laboratory of Applied Ecotoxicology, Campus 7.1, Saarbrücken, Germany

    Seungyun Baik & Stephan Pflugmacher

  3. Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Centre for Water Resource Cycle Research, 39-1 Hawarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbukgu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea

    Kyu-Sang Kwon

  4. Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH, Rodenbacher Chaussee 4, 63457, Hanau-Wolfgang, Germany

    Mi-Hee Ha

  5. Korean Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea

    Hee-Mock Oh

  6. Current affiliation: Ecosystems and Environmental Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Niemenkatu 73, 15140, Lahti, Finland

    Maranda Esterhuizen-Londt

  7. Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), University of Helsinki, Fabianinkatu 33, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Stephan Pflugmacher

Authors
  1. Maranda Esterhuizen-Londt
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  4. Mi-Hee Ha
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Correspondence to Stephan Pflugmacher.

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Esterhuizen-Londt, M., Baik, S., Kwon, KS. et al. Toxicity and Toxin Composition of Microcystis aeruginosa from Wangsong Reservoir. Toxicol. Environ. Health Sci. 10, 179–185 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13530-018-0362-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13530-018-0362-4

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