Aphanizomenon flos-aquae - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Aphanizomenon_flos-aquae

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae is a brackish and freshwater species of

cyanobacteria found around the world, including the Baltic Sea and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
the Great Lakes.

1 Ecology
2 Toxicity
3 Medical research
4 As a food supplement Scientific classification
5 See also
6 References Kingdom: Bacteria
7 External links Phylum: Cyanobacteria
Class: Cyanophyceae
Order: Nostocales
Family: Nostocaceae
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
Genus: Aphanizomenon
can form dense surface
aggregations in freshwater Species
(known as "cyanobacterial
blooms").[1] These blooms Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
occur in areas of high
nutrient loading, historical or
current.

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae bloom on

the Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae has both toxic and nontoxic forms.[2][3]
Most sources worldwide are toxic, containing both hepatic and
neuroendotoxins.[4]

Most cyanobacteria (including Aphanizomenon) produce BMAA, a neurotoxin amino acid implicated in
ALS/Parkinsonism.[5][6][7]

Toxicity of A. flos-aquae has been reported in Canada,[8] Germany[9][10] and China.[11]

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae is known to produce endotoxins, the toxic chemicals released when cells die.
Once released (lysed), and ingested, these toxins can damage liver and nerve tissues in mammals. In areas
where water quality is not closely monitored, the World Health Organization has assessed toxic algae as a
health risk, citing the production of anatoxin-a, saxitoxins, and cylindrospermopsin.[12] Dogs have been
reported to have become ill or have fatal reactions after swimming in rivers and lakes containing toxic A.
flos-aquae.

Microcystin toxin has been found in all 16 samples of A. flos-aquae products sold as food supplements in
Germany and Switzerland, originating from Lake Klamath: 10 of 16 samples exceeded the safety value of

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1 g microcystin per gram.[13] University professor Daniel Dietrich warned parents not to let children
consume A. flos-aquae products, since children are even more vulnerable to toxic effects, due to lower body
weight, and the continuous intake might lead to accumulation of toxins. Dietrich also warned against
quackery schemes selling these cyanobacteria as medicine against illnesses such as attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder, causing people to omit their regular drugs.

A Canadian study studying the effect of A. flos-aquae on the immune and endocrine systems, as well as on
general blood physiology, found that eating it had a profound effect on natural killer cells (NKCs).[14] A.
flos-aquae triggers the movement of 40% of the circulating NKCs from the blood to tissues.

Some compressed tablets of powdered A. flos-aquae cyanobacteria (named as "blue green algae") have been
sold as food supplements, notably those filtered from Upper Klamath Lake in Oregon.[15]

Aphanizomenon
Cyanobacteria
Spirulina (dietary supplement)

1. "Cyanobacteria/Cyanotoxins" (http://www2.epa.gov/nutrient-policy-data/cyanobacteriacyanotoxins).
US EPA. Retrieved 23 Oct 2015.
2. Jensen, Gitte S.; Ginsberg, Donald I.; Drapeau, Christian (2001). "Blue-Green Algae as an Immuno-
Enhancer and Biomodulator" (http://www.ancientsuninc.com/BioModulatorImmunoEnhancer.pdf)
(PDF). Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association. 3 (4): 2430. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
3. Carmichael, Wayne W. (January 1994). "The Toxins of Cyanobacteria". Scientific American. 270 (1):
7886. ISSN 0036-8733 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0036-8733). PMID 8284661
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8284661). doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0194-78
(https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fscientificamerican0194-78).
4. Karina Preuela, Fastnera Jutta; Federal Environmental Agency, FG II 3.3, Corrensplatz 1, 14195
Berlin, Germany; Department of Limnology of Stratified Lakes, Institute of Freshwater Ecology and
Inland Fisheries, Alte Fischerhtte 2, 16775 Stechlin, Germany; 15 October 2005
5. Cox, PA; Sacks, OW. (2002). "Cycad neurotoxins, consumption of flying foxes, and ALS-PDC disease
in Guam". Neurology. 58 (6): 9569. PMID 11914415 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
/11914415). doi:10.1212/wnl.58.6.956 (https://doi.org/10.1212%2Fwnl.58.6.956).
6. Holtcamp W (2012). "The Emerging Science of BMAA: Do Cyanobacteria Contribute to
Neurodegenerative Disease?" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3295368).
Environmental Health Perspectives. 120 (3): 11016. PMC 3295368 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
/pmc/articles/PMC3295368) . PMID 22382274 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22382274).
doi:10.1289/ehp.120-a110 (https://doi.org/10.1289%2Fehp.120-a110).

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7. Jonasson S, Eriksson J, Berntzon L, Spcil Z, Ilag LL, Ronnevi LO, Rasmussen U, Bergman B (2010).
"Transfer of a cyanobacterial neurotoxin within a temperate aquatic ecosystem suggests pathways for
human exposure" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2889067). Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. 107 (20): 92527. Bibcode:2010PNAS..107.9252J
(http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010PNAS..107.9252J). PMC 2889067 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
/pmc/articles/PMC2889067) . PMID 20439734 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20439734).
doi:10.1073/pnas.0914417107 (https://doi.org/10.1073%2Fpnas.0914417107).
8. Saker ML, Jungblut AD, Neilan BA, Rawn DF, Vasconcelos VM (October 2005). "Detection of
microcystin synthetase genes in health food supplements containing the freshwater cyanobacterium
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae". Toxicon. 46 (5): 55562. PMID 16098554 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
/pubmed/16098554). doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2005.06.021 (https://doi.org
/10.1016%2Fj.toxicon.2005.06.021).
9. Preussel K, Stken A, Wiedner C, Chorus I, Fastner J (February 2006). "First report on
cylindrospermopsin producing Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (Cyanobacteria) isolated from two German
lakes". Toxicon. 47 (2): 15662. PMID 16356522 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16356522).
doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2005.10.013 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.toxicon.2005.10.013).
10. Toxin content and cytotoxicity of algal dietary supplements (http://kops.ub.uni-konstanz.de/bitstream
/handle/urn:nbn:de:bsz:352-221238/heussner_221238.pdf?sequence=3) Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20131219122738/http://kops.ub.uni-konstanz.de/bitstream/handle
/urn%3Anbn%3Ade%3Absz%3A352-221238/heussner_221238.pdf?sequence=3) 19 December 2013
at the Wayback Machine., by Dr. Alexandra H. Heussner
11. Chen Y, Liu J, Yang W (May 2003). "Effect of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae toxins on some blood
physiological parameters in mice". Wei Sheng Yan Jiu [Journal of Hygiene Research] (in Chinese). 32
(3): 1957. PMID 12914277 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12914277).
12. World Health Organization (2006). Guidelines for drinking-water quality. First addendum to third
edition. Volume 1. Recommendations (http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/gdwq3rev
/en/). Geneva: World Health Organization. ISBN 978-92-4-154674-4.
13. "AFA-Algen Giftcocktail oder Gesundheitsbrunnen?" (https://translate.google.com
/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F
%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20080501124225%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.uni-
konstanz.de%2Fnews%2Fmittshow.php%3Fnr%3D12%26jj%3D2008) [AFA algae - toxic cocktail
fountain or health?] (Translated from German). Universitt Konstanz. Archived from the original
(http://www.uni-konstanz.de/news/mittshow.php?nr=12&jj=2008) on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 18 May
2012.
14. Effects of the Blue Green Algae Aphanizomenon flos-aquae on Human Natural Killer Cells.
Chapter 3.1 of the IBC Library Series, Volume 1911, Phytoceuticals: Examining the health benefit and
pharmaceutical properties of natural antioxidants and phytochemicals
15. Spolaore P, Joannis-Cassan C, Duran E, Isambert A (February 2006). "Commercial applications of
microalgae". Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering. 101 (2): 8796. PMID 16569602
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16569602). doi:10.1263/jbb.101.87 (https://doi.org
/10.1263%2Fjbb.101.87).

Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M. (2008). "Aphanizomenon flos-aquae" (http://www.algaebase.org/search

/species/detail/?species_id=30109). AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National
University of Ireland, Galway.

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