The impact of APOE4 on neurological symptoms after exposure to K. brevis neurotoxin.

Introduction: The harmful alga Karenia brevis (K. brevis) releases brevetoxins (PbTx) that cause respiratory and neurological symptoms. The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele has been linked to poor neurological outcomes after exposure to environmental toxicants.

Quantifying Karenia brevis bloom severity and respiratory irritation impact along the shoreline of Southwest Florida.

Nearly all annual blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis (K. brevis) pose a serious threat to coastal Southwest Florida. These blooms discolor water, kill fish and marine mammals, contaminate shellfish, cause mild to severe respiratory irritation, and discourage tourism and recreational activities, leading to significant health and economic impacts in affected communities.

Framework for a Community Health Observing System for the Gulf of Mexico Region: Preparing for Future Disasters.

The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) region is prone to disasters, including recurrent oil spills, hurricanes, floods, industrial accidents, harmful algal blooms, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. The GoM and other regions of the U.S.

HABscope: A tool for use by citizen scientists to facilitate early warning of respiratory irritation caused by toxic blooms of Karenia brevis.

Blooms of the toxic microalga Karenia brevis occur seasonally in Florida, Texas and other portions of the Gulf of Mexico. Brevetoxins produced during Karenia blooms can cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning in humans, massive fish kills, and the death of marine mammals and birds. Brevetoxin-containing aerosols are an additional problem, having a severe impact on beachgoers, triggering coughing, eye and throat irritation in healthy individuals, and more serious respiratory distress in those with asthma or other breathing disorders.

Neurological illnesses associated with Florida red tide (Karenia brevis) blooms.

Human respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses can result from exposures to brevetoxins originating from coastal Florida red tide blooms, comprising the marine alga Karenia brevis (K. brevis). Only limited research on the extent of human health risks and illness costs due to K.

Risk in daily newspaper coverage of red tide blooms in Southwest Florida.

This study investigated newspaper coverage of Florida red tide blooms in four metropolitan areas of Southwest Florida during a 25-year period, 1987-2012. We focused on how journalists framed red tide stories with respect to environmental risk, health risk, and economic risk. We determined risk to be a key factor in this news coverage, being an aspect of coverage of red tide itself in terms of environmental risk, tourism risk, and public health risk.

Human responses to Florida red tides: policy awareness and adherence to local fertilizer ordinances.

To mitigate the damages of natural hazards, policy responses can be beneficial only if they are effective. Using a self-administered survey approach, this paper focuses on the adherence to local fertilizer ordinances (i.e.

The human health effects of Florida red tide (FRT) blooms: an expanded analysis.

Human respiratory and digestive illnesses can be caused by exposures to brevetoxins from blooms of the marine alga Karenia brevis, also known as Florida red tide (FRT). K. brevis requires macro-nutrients to grow; although the sources of these nutrients have not been resolved completely, they are thought to originate both naturally and anthropogenically.

Florida Red Tide Knowledge and Risk Perception: Is there a need for tailored messaging?

Harmful algal blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate, , occur throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Recent research efforts sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and others found that Florida red tide causes both acute and possibly chronic health effects from the toxic aerosols. Florida red tide also demonstrated significant social and economic impacts to both coastal residents and visitors.

The Art of Red Tide Science.

Over the years, numerous outreach strategies by the science community, such as FAQ cards and website information, have been used to explain blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis that occur annually off the west coast of Florida to the impacted communities. Many state and federal agencies have turned to funded research groups for assistance in the development and testing of environmental outreach products. In the case of Florida red tide, the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute/Mote Marine Laboratory (MML) Cooperative Red Tide Agreement allowed MML to initiate a project aimed at developing innovative outreach products about Florida red tide.

Florida Red Tide Toxins (Brevetoxins) and Longitudinal Respiratory Effects in Asthmatics.

Having demonstrated significant and persistent adverse changes in pulmonary function for asthmatics after 1 hour exposure to brevetoxins in Florida red tide (Karenia brevis bloom) aerosols, we assessed the possible longer term health effects in asthmatics from intermittent environmental exposure to brevetoxins over 7 years. 125 asthmatic subjects were assessed for their pulmonary function and reported symptoms before and after 1 hour of environmental exposure to Florida red tide aerosols for upto 11 studies over seven years. As a group, the asthmatics came to the studies with normal standardized percent predicted pulmonary function values.

Frontiers in Outreach and Education: The Florida Red Tide Experience.

To enhance information sharing and garner increased support from the public for scientific research, funding agencies now typically require that research groups receiving support convey their work to stakeholders. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences-(NIEHS) funded Aerosolized Florida Red Tide P01 research group (Florida Red Tide Research Group) has employed a variety of outreach strategies to meet this requirement. Messages developed from this project began a decade ago and have evolved from basic print material (fliers and posters) to an interactive website, to the use of video and social networking technologies, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Aerosolized Red Tide Toxins (Brevetoxins) and Asthma: Continued health effects after 1 hour beach exposure.

Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, produce potent neurotoxins in marine aerosols. Recent studies have demonstrated acute changes in both symptoms and pulmonary function in asthmatics after only 1 hour of beach exposure to these aerosols. This study investigated if there were latent and/or sustained effects in asthmatics in the days following the initial beach exposure during periods with and without an active Florida red tide.

Review of Florida Red Tide and Human Health Effects.

This paper reviews the literature describing research performed over the past decade on the known and possible exposures and human health effects associated with Florida red tides. These harmful algal blooms are caused by the dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, and similar organisms, all of which produce a suite of natural toxins known as brevetoxins. Florida red tide research has benefited from a consistently funded, long term research program, that has allowed an interdisciplinary team of researchers to focus their attention on this specific environmental issue-one that is critically important to Gulf of Mexico and other coastal communities.

Florida Red Tide Perception: Residents versus Tourists.

The west coast of Florida has annual blooms of the toxin-producing dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis with Sarasota, FL considered the epicenter for these blooms. Numerous outreach materials, including Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) cards, exhibits for local museums and aquaria, public beach signs, and numerous websites have been developed to disseminate information to the public about this natural hazard. In addition, during intense onshore blooms, a great deal of media attention, primarily via newspaper (print and web) and television, is focused on red tide.

Changes in Work Habits of Lifeguards in Relation to Florida Red Tide.

The marine dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, is responsible for Florida red tides. Brevetoxins, the neurotoxins produced by K. brevis blooms, can cause fish kills, contaminate shellfish, and lead to respiratory illness in humans.

Personal exposure to aerosolized red tide toxins (brevetoxins).

Florida red tides occur annually in the Gulf of Mexico from blooms of the marine dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, which produces highly potent natural polyether toxins, brevetoxins. Several epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that human exposure to red tide aerosol could result in increased respiratory symptoms. Environmental monitoring of aerosolized brevetoxins was performed using a high-volume sampler taken hourly at fixed locations on Siesta Beach, Florida.

Inland Transport of Aerosolized Florida Red Tide Toxins.

Florida red tides, an annual event off the west coast of Florida, are caused by the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis. K. brevis produces a suite of potent neurotoxins, brevetoxins, which kill fish, sea birds, and marine mammals, as well as sickening humans who consume contaminated shellfish.

Gastrointestinal Emergency Room Admissions and Florida Red Tide Blooms.

Human exposure to brevetoxins during Florida red tide blooms formed by Karenia brevis has been documented to cause acute gastrointestinal, neurologic, and respiratory health effects.. Traditionally, the routes of brevetoxin exposure have been through the consumption of contaminated bivalve shellfish and the inhalation of contaminated aerosols.

The costs of respiratory illnesses arising from Florida gulf coast Karenia brevis blooms.

Background: Algal blooms of Karenia brevis, a harmful marine algae, occur almost annually off the west coast of Florida. At high concentrations, K. brevis blooms can cause harm through the release of potent toxins, known as brevetoxins, to the atmosphere.

Exposure and effect assessment of aerosolized red tide toxins (brevetoxins) and asthma.

Background: In previous studies we demonstrated statistically significant changes in reported symptoms for lifeguards, general beach goers, and persons with asthma, as well as statistically significant changes in pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in asthmatics, after exposure to brevetoxins in Florida red tide (Karenia brevis bloom) aerosols.

Objectives: In this study we explored the use of different methods of intensive ambient and personal air monitoring to characterize these exposures to predict self-reported health effects in our asthmatic study population.

Methods: We evaluated health effects in 87 subjects with asthma before and after 1 hr of exposure to Florida red tide aerosols and assessed for aerosolized brevetoxin exposure using personal and ambient samplers.

Recreational exposure to microcystins during algal blooms in two California lakes.

We conducted a study of recreational exposure to microcystins among 81 children and adults planning recreational activities on either of three California reservoirs, two with significant, ongoing blooms of toxin-producing cyanobacteria, including Microcystis aeruginosa (Bloom Lakes), and one without a toxin-producing algal bloom (Control Lake). We analyzed water samples for algal taxonomy, microcystin concentrations, and potential respiratory viruses (adenoviruses and enteroviruses). We measured microcystins in personal air samples, nasal swabs, and blood samples.

Public perceptions of Florida red tide risks.

This research integrates theoretical frameworks of risk perception, social amplification of risk, and the role of place-specific contexts in order to explore the various perceptions surrounding Florida red tides. Florida red tides are naturally occurring events that are increasing in frequency, duration, and severity. This has implications for public health, the local economy, and ecosystem health.

Skill assessment for an operational algal bloom forecast system.

An operational forecast system for harmful algal blooms (HABs) in southwest Florida is analyzed for forecasting skill. The HABs, caused by the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, lead to shellfish toxicity and to respiratory irritation. In addition to predicting new blooms and their extent, HAB forecasts are made twice weekly during a bloom event, using a combination of satellite derived image products, wind predictions, and a rule-based model derived from previous observations and research.