microcystin and Rodent-Diseases

Cyanobacteria often produce severe illness and in some cases spectacular fatality on livestock and wildlife world-wide. Heavy cyanobacterial waterblooms usually form patches of dense surface scum, and terrestrial animals drinking such concentrated dirty froth can consume a fatal dose. Surprisingly, animals do not avoid swallowing concentrated microbial scum. Different experiments of drink selection were performed with laboratory mice to determine why animals drink these concentrated scum. These experiments showed that animals elected to consume dense cultures of the toxic cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa in preference to limpid water. When M. aeruginosa cells were supplied ad libitum, mice avidly swallowed these toxic cyanobacteria until this led to their death. Mice were unable to detect the phycotoxin (microcystin). In contrast, mice did not select cultures containing other non-toxic phytoplanktonic organisms. Observations in nature suggest that this preference in the consumption of toxic cyanobacteria is common among other animal species.

Topics: Animals; Drinking; Food Preferences; Mice; Microcystins; Microcystis; Peptides, Cyclic; Rodent Diseases; Water Microbiology