Toxins in the freshwater cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Cyanophyceae) isolated from Tabocas reservoir in Caruaru, Brazil, including demonstration of a new saxitoxin analogue

Cyanobacteria can produce biotoxins that are significant hazards to humans. After the intoxication incident in 1996 at the city of Caruaru, Brazil, a phytoplankton-monitoring programme was established at its main water supply, the Tabocas reservoir. Data obtained during 1997 and 1998 revealed the dominant species at Tabocas to be Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, which was responsible for a massive bloom observed in July–October 1998. Laboratory cultures of isolate ITEP-018 demonstrated highly toxic properties, mice inoculated with this strain exhibited the same symptoms as those of paralytic shellfish poisoning, with an acute lethal effect of 9.3 mouse units mg−1 of dry cells. Several saxitoxin analogues were identified in these cultures, specifically saxitoxin (3.3 mol% total toxin content), gonyautoxin 6 (6.4 mol%), decarbamoyl-saxitoxin (8.5 mol%), neosaxitoxin (17.1 mol%), and a new saxitoxin analogue, which proved to be the major product of the Tabocas strain, accounting for 64.6 mol% of the toxin present in the sample analysed. Additionally, decarbamoylneo-saxitoxin was detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii strain ITEP-018 thus produces at least five saxitoxin analogues, including the most toxic ones as assessed by mouse bioassay.