Chase I. Kahn
Andrew J. Borchert
Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli
Richard L. Whitman
Julie R. Peller
Christina Pier
Guangyun Lin
Eric A. Johnson
Michael J. Sadowsky
Chan Lan Chun
2015
<p><span>The reemergence of avian botulism caused by </span><i>Clostridium botulinum</i><span> type E has been observed across the Great Lakes in recent years. Evidence suggests an association between the nuisance algae, </span><i>Cladophora</i><span>spp., and </span><i>C. botulinum</i><span> in nearshore areas of the Great Lakes. However, the nature of the association between </span><i>Cladophora</i><span> and </span><i>C. botulinum</i><span> is not fully understood due, in part, to the complex food web interactions in this disease etiology. In this study, we extensively evaluated their association by quantitatively examining population size and serotypes of </span><i>C. botulinum</i><span> in algal mats collected from wide geographic areas in lakes Michigan, Ontario, and Erie in 2011–2012 and comparing them with frequencies in other matrices such as sand and water. A high prevalence (96%) of </span><i>C. botulinum</i><span> type E was observed in</span><i>Cladophora</i><span> mats collected from shorelines of the Great Lakes in 2012. Among the algae samples containing detectable </span><i>C. botulinum</i><span>, the population size of </span><i>C. Botulinum</i><span> type E was 10</span><sup>0</sup><span>–10</span><sup>4</sup><span> MPN/g dried algae, which was much greater (up to 10</span><sup>3</sup><span> fold) than that found in sand or the water column, indicating that</span><i>Cladophora</i><span> mats are sources of this pathogen. Mouse toxinantitoxin bioassays confirmed that the putative</span><i>C. botulinum</i><span> belonged to the type E serotype. Steam treatment was effective in reducing or eliminating </span><i>C. botulinum</i><span> type E viable cells in </span><i>Cladophora</i><span> mats, thereby breaking the potential transmission route of toxin up to the food chain. Consequently, our data suggest that steam treatment incorporated with a beach cleaning machine may be an effective treatment of </span><i>Cladophora</i><span>-borne </span><i>C. botulinum</i><span> and may reduce bird mortality and human health risks.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.12.080
en
Elsevier
Prevalence of toxin-producing Clostridium botulinum associated with the macroalga Cladophora in three Great Lakes: Growth and management
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