Harmful Algal Information System: Event US-05-013

General Information

Event name:	US-05-013
Country:	UNITED STATES
Nature of the harmful event:	Water Discoloration , High Phyto concentration
Event directly affected:	Humans
Toxicity detected:	Yes (Approximate range: 0.578ug/l microcystin)
Associated syndrome:
Unexplained toxicity:
Species implicated in toxin transmission (transvector):
Report the outcome of a monitoring programme:	No
Event occurred before in this location:	Yes (This area frequently sees high concentrations of the species listed in section 3.)
Individuals to contact:	RABALAIS, Nancy

Location:	Latitude: , Longitude:
General location information:	Lake Salvador, Louisiana, HAB Area code(s): US-17
Additional location information:	Low salinity lake in the upper part of the Barataria Basin
Bloom event dates (yyyy/mm/dd):
Quarantine levels dates (yyyy/mm/dd):
Additional date-related information:	The thickest part of the bloom was in the center of the lake, but extended south and west into adjoining bayous. The bloom was first detected by our field personnel on 4/27/05, where a preserved sample was taken for enumeration of species, but no water was collected for toxin analysis until the following week on 5/3/05. Species levels were still high at this time, but lower than the previous week.

Causative organism known:	Yes
Causative Species/Genus:	Anabaena spp. (4.46x10^8 cells/L) 4/27/05 Anabaena spp. (9.10x10^7 cells/L) 5/3/05
Co-Ocurring Species/Genus:	Microcystis sp. (n/a cells/L) Hard to quantify Aphanizomenon sp. (1.98x10^7 cells/L) 5/3/05 Planktolyngbya contorta (5.47x10^7 cells/L) 5/3/05 Planktolyngbya sp. (9.95x10^6 cells/L) 5/3/05
Chlorophyll concentration, if known:	µg/l
Additional bloom information:	On site there was a pungent odor associated with the bloom which resulted in a slight burning sensation in the nostrils after prolonged exposure; one field member also experienced a serious headache and gastrointestinal problems shortly after sampling was
Event-related bibliography: