title: Bacterial influence on the production of paralytic shellfish toxins by dinoflagellated algae.
abstract: This study investigated the role of intracellular and extracellular bacteria in the production of paralytic shellfish toxins by dinoflagellated algal cells. Three strains of the toxic dinoflagellate species, Alexandrium tamarense, were purified by external bacteria using penicillin G (Pen. G) at levels of 500 and 1000 p.p.m. Levels of toxicity of the resulting purified dinoflagellate cultures were similar to those of the original strains contaminated with external bacteria, indicating that the external bacteria had no influence on toxicity. No bacterial colony forming units (cfu) arose from disruption of algal cells derived from penicillin-treated cultures, indicating that intracellular bacteria were not responsible for the toxicity of cultures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003, USA.
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Dantzer
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Levin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001407:Bacillus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000633:toxicity; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009016:Moraxella / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D010400:Penicillin G / Q000494:pharmacology; D015003:Yeasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D008387:Marine Toxins; D010400:Penicillin G