Ordering Information:
ORDER NUMBER:  2818
DATE AVAILABLE: Summer 2007

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PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:
Steven W. Wilhelm, Anthony J.A. Ouellette, and Johanna Rinta-Kanto

OBJECTIVES:
The objectives of this study were to identify regions of the genome of Microcystis aeruginosa that could be used as molecular targets in the rapid identification of potentially toxic algal blooms containing these cyanobacteria.

BACKGROUND:
Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are a global problem that appears to be occurring with increasing frequency. As methods to detect toxins only work after the bloom has occurred, molecular tools, which can determine the potential of a population to produce toxins, may provide the best potential forecasting tool available.

HIGHLIGHTS:
This project developed a presence/absence approach (multiplex-PCR), as well as a quantitative approach (using qPCR), which should be easily applied in field situations.

APPROACH:
To demonstrate that these molecular tools worked under field conditions, the researchers tested the probes during blooms of potentially toxic cyanobacteria Microcystis spp., which persisted in western Lake Erie during August 2002–2004 when microcystin concentrations exceeded the safety limit set by the World Health Organization. The presence of Microcystis spp. in water samples was confirmed through the multiplex PCR reaction using a combination of four primer sets. Quantification of Microcystis was achieved using the real-time PCR assay. This approach allowed the research team to study specifically the distribution and abundance of toxic Microcystis in the lake.

RESULTS/FINDINGS:
The researchers achieved the initial targets of the project by effectively identifying specific gene fragments that can be used in a multiplex PCR reaction to demonstrate the presence of Microcystis spp. and toxic Microcystis spp.

IMPACT:
The study has shown that molecular tools can be very useful in the identification of toxigenic Microcystis spp. in water samples. The ongoing development of real-time molecular tool based sentinel systems will further advance the value of these probes.