Centro de Estudios Ambientales de Cienfuegos (CEAC), AP. 5, Ciudad Nuclear, CP 59350, Cienfuegos, Cuba; Centro de Estudos do Mar, Universidade Federal do Paraná, P.O. Box 61, Av. Beira Mar, s/n, Pontal do Paraná, Paraná 83255-976, Brazil.
Centro de Estudios Ambientales de Cienfuegos (CEAC), AP. 5, Ciudad Nuclear, CP 59350, Cienfuegos, Cuba.
Sci Total Environ. 2021 Feb 25;757:143782. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143782. Epub 2020 Nov 16.
The marine dinoflagellate Vulcanodinium rugosum produces powerful paralyzing and cytotoxic compounds named pinnatoxins (PnTX) and portimines. Even though, no related human intoxication episodes following direct exposure in seawater or the ingestion of contaminated seafood have been documented so far. This study aimed at investigating a dinoflagellate bloom linked to acute dermatitis cases in two recreational beaches in Cienfuegos Bay, Cuba. We used epidemiological and clinical data from 60 dermatitis cases consisting of individuals in close contact with the bloom. Seawater physical-chemical properties were described, and the microorganism causing the bloom was identified by means of light and scanning electron microscopy. Morphological identification was confirmed genetically by sequencing the internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2, and the 5.8S rDNA region. Toxic compounds were identified from a bloom extract using liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and their concentrations were estimated based on low-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Sixty people who had prolonged contact with the dinoflagellate bloom suffered acute dermal irritation. Most patients (79.2%) were children and had to be treated with antibiotics; some required >5-day hospitalization. Combined morphological and genetic characters indicated V. rugosum as the causative agent of the bloom. rDNA sequences of the V. rugosum genotype found in the bloom aligned with others from Asia, including material found in the ballast tank of a ship in Florida. The predominant toxins in the bloom were portimine, PnTX-F and PnTX-E, similar to strains originating from the Pacific Ocean. This bloom was associated with unusual weather conditions such as frequent and prolonged droughts. Our findings indicate a close link between the V. rugosum bloom and a dermatitis outbreak among swimmers in Cienfuegos Bay. Phylogenetic evidence suggests a recent introduction of V. rugosum from the Pacific Ocean into Caribbean waters, possibly via ballast water.
海洋甲藻 Vulcanodinium rugosum 产生了名为 pinnatoxins (PnTX) 和 portimines 的强效麻痹和细胞毒性化合物。尽管迄今为止，尚未有直接暴露在海水中或摄入受污染海鲜后人类中毒的相关记录。本研究旨在调查古巴cienfuegos 湾两个休闲海滩与急性皮炎病例相关的甲藻水华。我们使用了 60 例皮炎病例的流行病学和临床数据，这些病例由与水华密切接触的个体组成。描述了海水理化性质，并通过光镜和扫描电子显微镜鉴定了引起水华的微生物。通过对内部转录间隔区 ITS1 和 ITS2 以及 5.8S rDNA 区进行测序，对形态识别进行了基因确认。使用液相色谱 (LC) 结合高分辨率质谱 (HRMS) 从水华提取物中鉴定出有毒化合物，并根据低分辨率串联质谱 (LC-MS/MS) 估计其浓度。60 名与甲藻水华长时间接触的人患有急性皮肤刺激。大多数患者 (79.2%) 为儿童，必须接受抗生素治疗；有些需要住院治疗>5 天。形态学和遗传学特征表明，V. rugosum 是水华的致病因子。在水华中发现的 V. rugosum 基因型的 rDNA 序列与亚洲的其他序列相吻合，包括佛罗里达州一艘船上压载舱中的物质。水华中的主要毒素是 portimine、PnTX-F 和 PnTX-E，与源自太平洋的毒素相似。这次水华与不寻常的天气条件有关，如频繁和长时间的干旱。我们的研究结果表明，cienfuegos 湾游泳者的 V. rugosum 水华与皮炎爆发之间存在密切联系。系统发育证据表明，V. rugosum 最近从太平洋引入加勒比海，可能是通过压载水。
