First Report of a Toxic Nodularia spumigena (Nostocales/ Cyanobacteria) Bloom in Sub-Tropical Australia. II. Bioaccumulation of Nodularin in Isolated Populations of Mullet (Mugilidae)

Stewart, Ian; Eaglesham, Geoffrey K.; McGregor, Glenn B.; Chong, Roger; Seawright, Alan A.; Wickramasinghe, Wasantha A.; Sadler, Ross; Hunt, Lindsay; Graham, Glenn

doi:10.3390/ijerph9072412

Open AccessArticle

First Report of a Toxic Nodularia spumigena (Nostocales/ Cyanobacteria) Bloom in Sub-Tropical Australia. II. Bioaccumulation of Nodularin in Isolated Populations of Mullet (Mugilidae)

by

Ian Stewart

^1,2,*,†,

Geoffrey K. Eaglesham

¹,

Glenn B. McGregor

³,

Roger Chong

⁴,

Alan A. Seawright

⁵,

Wasantha A. Wickramasinghe

⁵,

Ross Sadler

²,

Lindsay Hunt

¹ and

Glenn Graham

^1,6

¹

Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, Queensland 4108, Australia

²

School of Public Health, Griffith University, Parklands Drive, Southport, Queensland 4217, Australia

³

Environment and Resource Sciences, Queensland Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts, Ecosciences Precinct, Boggo Road, Dutton Park, Queensland 4102, Australia

⁴

Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, Queensland 4108, Australia

⁵

The University of Queensland, National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (EnTox), 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, Queensland 4108, Australia

⁶

Faculty of Science, Health and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, Queensland 4556, Australia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

Current address: South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Plant Research Centre, 2b Hartley Grove, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9(7), 2412-2443; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph9072412

Submission received: 24 April 2012 / Revised: 19 June 2012 / Accepted: 20 June 2012 / Published: 5 July 2012

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Abstract

Fish collected after a mass mortality at an artificial lake in south-east Queensland, Australia, were examined for the presence of nodularin as the lake had earlier been affected by a Nodularia bloom. Methanol extracts of muscle, liver, peritoneal and stomach contents were analysed by HPLC and tandem mass spectrometry; histological examination was conducted on livers from captured mullet. Livers of sea mullet (Mugil cephalus) involved in the fish kill contained high concentrations of nodularin (median 43.6 mg/kg, range 40.8–47.8 mg/kg dry weight; n = 3) and the toxin was also present in muscle tissue (median 44.0 μg/kg, range 32.3–56.8 μg/kg dry weight). Livers of fish occupying higher trophic levels accumulated much lower concentrations. Mullet captured from the lake 10 months later were also found to have high hepatic nodularin levels. DNA sequencing of mullet specimens revealed two species inhabiting the study lake: M. cephalus and an unidentified mugilid. The two mullet species appear to differ in their exposure and/or uptake of nodularin, with M. cephalus demonstrating higher tissue concentrations. The feeding ecology of mullet would appear to explain the unusual capacity of these fish to concentrate nodularin in their livers; these findings may have public health implications for mullet fisheries and aquaculture production where toxic cyanobacteria blooms affect source waters. This report incorporates a systematic review of the literature on nodularin measured in edible fish, shellfish and crustaceans.

Keywords: cyanobacteria; cyanotoxin; nodularin; Nodularia; seafood; mullet; recreational; HPLC-MS/MS

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MDPI and ACS Style

Stewart, I.; Eaglesham, G.K.; McGregor, G.B.; Chong, R.; Seawright, A.A.; Wickramasinghe, W.A.; Sadler, R.; Hunt, L.; Graham, G. First Report of a Toxic Nodularia spumigena (Nostocales/ Cyanobacteria) Bloom in Sub-Tropical Australia. II. Bioaccumulation of Nodularin in Isolated Populations of Mullet (Mugilidae). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9, 2412-2443. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph9072412

AMA Style

Stewart I, Eaglesham GK, McGregor GB, Chong R, Seawright AA, Wickramasinghe WA, Sadler R, Hunt L, Graham G. First Report of a Toxic Nodularia spumigena (Nostocales/ Cyanobacteria) Bloom in Sub-Tropical Australia. II. Bioaccumulation of Nodularin in Isolated Populations of Mullet (Mugilidae). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2012; 9(7):2412-2443. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph9072412

Chicago/Turabian Style

Stewart, Ian, Geoffrey K. Eaglesham, Glenn B. McGregor, Roger Chong, Alan A. Seawright, Wasantha A. Wickramasinghe, Ross Sadler, Lindsay Hunt, and Glenn Graham. 2012. "First Report of a Toxic Nodularia spumigena (Nostocales/ Cyanobacteria) Bloom in Sub-Tropical Australia. II. Bioaccumulation of Nodularin in Isolated Populations of Mullet (Mugilidae)" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 9, no. 7: 2412-2443. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph9072412

APA Style

Stewart, I., Eaglesham, G. K., McGregor, G. B., Chong, R., Seawright, A. A., Wickramasinghe, W. A., Sadler, R., Hunt, L., & Graham, G. (2012). First Report of a Toxic Nodularia spumigena (Nostocales/ Cyanobacteria) Bloom in Sub-Tropical Australia. II. Bioaccumulation of Nodularin in Isolated Populations of Mullet (Mugilidae). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 9(7), 2412-2443. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph9072412

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First Report of a Toxic Nodularia spumigena (Nostocales/ Cyanobacteria) Bloom in Sub-Tropical Australia. II. Bioaccumulation of Nodularin in Isolated Populations of Mullet (Mugilidae)

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