Cyanobacteria, commonly referred to as blue-green algae, are photosynthetic prokaryotes that occur naturally in surface waters. They contribute significantly to primary production and nutrient cycling. Blooms of toxic cyanobacteria species in surface drinking water sources and recreational waters threaten human health. Gastrointestinal illness, skin irritation, and death following renal dialysis have been attributed to acute cyanotoxin exposure. We describe a simple and sensitive LC-MS method for definitive identification and quantitation of microcystins in water.
Overgrowth of algae is a common problem in many wetlands with advanced stages of eutrophication (the enrichment of chemical nutrients containing nitrogen or phosphorus in an ecosystem). This often results in a thick, colored layer on the water's surface, known as an algal bloom. Some of the algae that grow in these bodies of water, known as Cyanobacteria or blue-green algae, produce toxic compounds known as microcystins. We describe a method for rapid analysis of three microcystins detected in the wetlands of Japan (Microcystin-LR, YR and RR).
When the density of the colonies of Microcystis and Nodularia cyanobacteria surpass a certain level, they produce hepatotoxic substances called microcystins and nodularins, respectively,2 while Anabaena and Apha-zinomenon are known to produce a neurotoxin called anatoxin. We describe a column-switching technique based on online preconcentration and high-resolution, full-scan Thermo Scientific™ Orbitrap™ mass spectrometry to obtain fast and accurate results for the determination of algal toxins in drinking water.
