A survey of toxicity of cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Ladoga and adjacent water bodies

Abstract

Twentyfive cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Ladoga and adjacent water bodies were studied in the summer of 1990-1992 . Toxicity of the water bloom material for mice was detected in 9 cases . The maximal tolerable doses (MTD) of the material extracted from biomass varied within 3-30 mg kg -1 mouse body weight; 50% lethal doses (LD5o) were within 45-125 mg kg -1 . Toxic water blooms were registered in Karelian lakes and in the Neva Bay, Gulf of Finland . Cyanobacterial samples collected on the eastern coast of Lake Ladoga proved to be non-toxic . The species identified in toxic bloom material included Anabaena circinalis, A . flos-aquae, A . lemmermannii, Anabaena sp ., Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Gloeotrichia echinulata, G. pisum, Microcystis aeruginosa and Oscillatoria sp . These data suggest that toxic forms of cyanobacteria are widespread in Karelian lakes belonging to the drainage basin of Lake Ladoga .

Algal Bloom Occurrence and Effects in Russia

“…Russia possesses the world's second renewable water reserves after Brazil [13]. A significant number of scientific publications as well as reports in the mass media show that the problem of eutrophication is widespread in Russia [14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

First report of microcystin‐LR in the cyanobacterium Gloeotrichia echinulata

“…Previous research indicates that G. echinulata may contain toxins. Cronberg (1999) and Cronberg et al (1999) established that recreational human exposure to G. echinulata blooms in Lake Ringsjön, Sweden can create skin irritation, and Gromov et al (1996) found that injections of G. echinulata isolated from Lake Ladoga, Russia, were fatal to mice. G. echinulata is in the order Nostocales and family Rivulariaceae (Prescott, 1973), and toxicity surveys of phylogentically-related cyanobacteria such as Aphanizomenon and Nostoc (Dos S Vieira et al, 2005) suggest that G. echinulata may contain the hepatotoxin microcystin.…”