Publication
Freshwater phycotoxins
| dc.contributor.author | Dias, Elsa | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-03-24T15:41:49Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-03-24T15:41:49Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014-09-18 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous phytoplanktonic organisms in freshwater environments, exhibiting fundamental ecologic roles: they are the base of the food-web, they are main producers of oxygen and some genera can fix nitrogen. Under favourable environmental conditions, particularly in eutrophic waters, they growth massively, forming the well-known water blooms. These blooms are a concern for public health given the ability of many cyanobacteria strains from distinct genera (eg. Microcystis, Anabaena, Oscillatoria, Nodularia, Cylindrospermopsis, Aphanizomenon) to produce secondary metabolites that are toxic for humans and animals. The effects induced by cyanotoxins include hepatotoxicity, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity (microcystins, nodularin and cilindrospermopsin), neurotoxicity (saxitoxin and derivates, anatoxins) and dermatotoxicity (lipopolysaccharides). Microcystin-LR, in particular, is a tumour promoter and is classified by IARC as a potential carcinogen to humans. Human exposure to freshwater cyanotoxins occurs through the consumption of improper-treated drinking water and during recreational activities in water bodies containing cyanoblooms. The unpredictable character of harmful blooms, analytical limitations and the gaps in scientific knowledge concerning the toxicology/epidemiology of cyanotoxins still hampers the correct risk assessment of human exposure to toxic cyanobacteria. This presentation will give an overview of the freshwater cyanotoxins, considering their occurrence, their toxicological properties and their laboratory diagnosis. The uncertainties related with risk assessment and regulation of cyanotoxins in freshwaters will be discussed. The new trends in cyanobacteria/cyanotoxins research will also be addressed, in particular their biotechnological and pharmaceutical potential. | pt_PT |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/3743 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | Phytoplankton | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | Phycotoxins | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | Freshwater | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | Cyanobacteria | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | Cyanotoxins | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | Água e Solo | pt_PT |
| dc.title | Freshwater phycotoxins | pt_PT |
| dc.type | lecture | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| oaire.citation.conferencePlace | Lisboa, Portugal | pt_PT |
| oaire.citation.title | Workshop on microbial toxins in public health/CogressoTrends in environmental microbiology for public health, 18-21 Setembro 2014 | pt_PT |
| rcaap.rights | closedAccess | pt_PT |
| rcaap.type | lecture | pt_PT |