The Genetics of Biotoxin Production and Prediction.
Never be Surprised by a Harmful Algal Bloom Again
Cyanobacteria toxins are produced by many strains of cyanobacteria spanning multiple genera, however, as toxicity is not uniform among strains, conventional bacteriological classification methods are unable to accurately predict toxicity and analytical methods for the detection of the toxins often take days to perform and are not predictive. It has long since been realized that early detection methods for toxic cyanobacteria are critical as the consumption of cyanotoxins can lead to a myriad of serious health effects and can be fatal in high doses.
Paralytic Shellfish Toxins (PST) are produced by certain dinoflagellates found in marine environments. They have a serious impact on aquaculture operations around the world, Predicting or identifying the prssence of these producers is essentuial for the successful management of any aquaculture operations involving shellfish or marine species impacted by these phytoplankon blooms.
Phytoxigene has developed and validated molecular based tests for the detection of biotoxin production in fresh, brackish and marine water environments from both cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates, that pose a direct threat to public health. The CyanoDTec assays are simple molecular assays for the detection of hepatotoxins such as microcystin, nodularin and cylindrospermopsin and neurotoxins such as saxitoxin, anatoxin and guanitoxin.
News, Developments and Publications:
AWWA Water Science paper highlights the accuracy precision and reproducibility of the CyanoDTec qPCR results across multiple laboratories, confirming the robustness and reliability of the assay as a monitoring tool. Interlaboratory Performance Study of Cyanobacteria DNA Reference Materials Using a qPCR Format for Monitoring Cyanobacterial Blooms
Phytoxigene licenses guanitoxin gene technology from University California San Diego and now have launched a multiplex assay for the detection of anatoxin and guanitoxin production genes
Alliance of Coastal Technologies (ACT) releases technical demonstration report for the Phytoxigene™ DinoDTec and CyanoDTec quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) kits. ACT is a partnership of research institutions, resource managers, and private sector companies dedicated to fostering the development and adoption of effective and reliable sensors and platforms for use in coastal, freshwater and ocean environments. ACT conducts two levels of Technology Evaluations: Verifications and Demonstrations. Technology Verifications focus on classes of commercially available instruments to provide confirmation that each technology meets the manufacturer's performance specifications or claims and/or provides verified data on those operational parameters that stakeholders require to make a use decision. The report is available here.
American Water Works Association (AWWA) - Use an Integrated Approach to Monitor Algal Blooms