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Walter JM, Lopes FAC, Lopes-Ferreira M, Vidal LM, Leomil L, Melo F, de Azevedo GS, Oliveira RMS, Medeiros AJ, Melo ASO, De Rezende CE, Tanuri A, Thompson FL. Occurrence of Harmful Cyanobacteria in Drinking Water from a Severely Drought-Impacted Semi-arid Region. Front Microbiol 2018. [PMID: 29541063 PMCID: PMC5835534 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Harmful cyanobacterial blooms have become increasingly common in freshwater ecosystems in recent decades, mainly due to eutrophication and climate change. Water becomes unreliable for human consumption. Here, we report a comprehensive study carried out to investigate the water quality of several Campina Grande reservoirs. Our approach included metagenomics, microbial abundance quantification, ELISA test for three cyanotoxins (microcystin, nodularins, and cylindrospermopsin), and in vivo ecotoxicological tests with zebrafish embryos. Cytometry analysis showed high cyanobacterial abundance, while metagenomics identified an average of 10.6% of cyanobacterial sequences, and demonstrated the presence of Microcystis, Cylindrospermopsis, and toxin coding genes in all ponds. Zebrafish embryos reared with pond water had high mortality and diverse malformations. Among the ponds analyzed, Araçagi showed the highest lethality (an average of 62.9 ± 0.8%), followed by Boqueirão (lethality average of 62.5 ± 0.8%). Here, we demonstrate that water from ponds undergoing extremely drought conditions have an abundance of potentially harmful cyanobacteria and their toxins. Our findings are consistent with a scenario in which polluted drinking water poses a great risk to human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juline M Walter
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, and SAGE-COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabyano A C Lopes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, and SAGE-COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mônica Lopes-Ferreira
- Immunoregulation Unit, Special Laboratory of Applied Toxinology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lívia M Vidal
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, and SAGE-COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luciana Leomil
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, and SAGE-COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabiana Melo
- Instituto de Pesquisa Professor Joaquim Amorim Neto, Campina Grande, Brazil
| | | | | | - Alba J Medeiros
- Secretaria de Saúde de Campina Grande, Campina Grande, Brazil
| | - Adriana S O Melo
- Instituto de Pesquisa Professor Joaquim Amorim Neto, Campina Grande, Brazil
| | - Carlos E De Rezende
- Laboratory of Environmental Sciences, State University of Northern Rio de Janeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil
| | - Amilcar Tanuri
- Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabiano L Thompson
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, and SAGE-COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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