Co‐occurrence of β‐N‐methylamino‐l‐alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid with other cyanobacterial toxins in British waterbodies, 1990–2004

Abstract

The neurotoxic amino acid, beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine, was found to be present in all of 12 analysed samples of cyanobacterial blooms, scums and mats, which had been collected in seven years between 1990 and 2004 inclusive and stored at -20 degrees C. BMAA identification was by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and by triple quadrapole mass spectrometry after derivatization. The samples originated from 11 freshwater lakes and 1 brackish waterbody, used either for drinking water, recreation, or both. BMAA was present at between 8 and 287 microg g(-1) cyanobacterial dry weight and was present as both the free amino acid and associated with precipitated proteins. Ten of the samples contained additional cyanotoxins (including microcystins, anatoxin-a, nodularin and saxitoxin) at the time of sample collection. Five of the samples were associated with animal deaths, attributable at the time of sample collection, to microcystins, nodularin or anatoxin-a. The data demonstrate the presence of BMAA by high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry in a diverse range of cyanobacterial bloom samples from high resource waterbodies. Furthermore, samples collected over several years shows that BMAA can co-occur with other known cyanotoxins in such waterbodies. Health risk assessment of cyanobacterial BMAA in waterbodies is suggested.

Production of the Neurotoxin BMAA by a Marine Cyanobacterium

“…This combination of BMAA detection with HPLC or UPLC coupled with mass spectrometric verification of the BMAA peak reconfirms HPLC or UPLC detection of BMAA in a sample [8,11,12,19]. We used two different spectrometric techniques to verify the BMAA peak in the CCMED-01 marine Nostoc sp.…”

Seasonal Nearshore Occurrence of the Neurotoxin β N methylamino L alanine (BMAA) in Lake Winnipeg, Canada

“…Metcalf et al (2008) identified MC, anatoxin-a, nodularin and saxitoxin in a number of British surface waters in addition to BMAA. Al-Sammak et al (2014) reported an association of BMAA with MC in Nebraska reservoirs.…”

“…The ubiquitous distribution of BMAA provides a multiplicity of potential routes for human exposure from drinking water (Metcalf et al, 2008;Bradley et al, 2013), bathing and showering, and consumption of aquatic foodstuffs, as well as dietary supplements that incorporate certain "edible" cyanobacteria (e.g. Nostoc www.ccsenet.org/ep Environment and Pollution Vol.…”

“…1; flagelliforme) (Jiao et al, 2014). When livestock drink water from farm dugouts or ditches containing algal blooms, a possible risk of tainted meat and milk may ensue, and BMAA may promote chronic animal intoxication (Metcalf et al, 2008). Consumption of waterfowl such as Canada geese and ducks from BMAA tainted wetlands has been identified as another possible human health risk (Bidigare et al, 2009).…”

The neurotoxin BMAA in aquatic systems : analysis, occurrence and effects

“…In 2003, BMAA was found in the cyanobacterium Nostoc living in symbiosis with this cycad [32]. This first report of BMAA in a cyanobacterium was followed by positive reports for BMAA in free living and symbiotic cyanobacteria, as well as in cyanobacteria dominated field samples [33][34][35][36]. Given the putative role of BMAA in neurodegenerative illnesses [37], these findings of widespread occurrence of BMAA in virtually all tested cyanobacteria at sometimes alarming high concentrations led to the assumption that BMAA may pose a worldwide significant risk to human health [34,38,39].…”