Pfiesteria Piscicida; A New Biological Threat with Many Faces |
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| Authors: | Debby Jochems Pim Martens |
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| Institution: | (1) International Centre for Integrative Studies, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands;(2) International Centre for Integrative Studies, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | In 1988, Drs. JoAnn Burkholder and Ed Noga of North Carolina State University discovered a previously unknown toxic dinoflagellate that eventually was named Pfiesteria piscicida. Accumulating data indicate that this dinoflagellate is a significant source of environmental stress in estuarine ecosystems. It has been estimated that since its discovery, outbreaks of this single-celled aquatic organism, and a second recently discovered species called Pfiesteria shumwayae, have killed millions of fish in estuaries along the eastern United States, and their toxins have harmed people. It has been implicated as the causative agent of major annual fish kills in these estuaries. Its prevalence is greatest in regions affected by anthropogenic nutrient loading from municipal wastewater, phosphate mining, fish processing plant discharge, and other sources. Over the last 20 years, the harmful public health and economic effects of algal blooms appear to have increased in frequency, intensity and geographic distribution. The recent toxic Pfiesteria outbreaks in estuaries of the middle and southern Atlantic coast indicate that anthropogenic stresses on the environment may also influence the effects of these blooms on fish and humans. |
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