Brevetoxin

Structure of brevetoxin, types A and B, produced by dinoflagellate K. brevis[1]

Introduction

Brevetoxin is a kind of neurotoxin produced by Karenia brevis. [3] Blah blah... stuff about K. brevis and the chemical makeup of brevetoxins

Affliction and Symptoms

The amount of toxin produced in small numbers of these K. brevis is typically not dangerous. However, when they reproduce en masse, as in the case of the red tide algal blooms, enough brevetoxin is generated to be considered dangerous to humans, as well as other kinds of life. Wildlife is most directly affected, specifically those species which depend on or live in the ocean, such as fish, water fowl, sea turtles and dolphins. Humans tend to be intelligent enough not to swim directly in the red tides, although exposure of brevetoxin to skin can lead to toxic effects. Instead, humans are most often exposed to brevetoxin through consumption of shellfish contaminated with the chemical. In rare cases, inhalation is possible if brevetoxins are swept into the air by ocean surf or onshore winds.[4]

K. brevis, responsible for brevetoxin production. Location on page subject to change.[2]

Illness onset following consumption of contaminated shellfish is known as Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning, or NSP, wherein brevetoxins will proceed to affect the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract as well as the neurological system. GI tract related symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and pain in the abdomen. Neurological symptoms consist of paresthesia (a pricking, tingling sensation), reversal of perception of hot and cold temperature sensation, vertigo (false sense of motion), and ataxia (involuntary muscular movement, or spasms). Inhalation of brevetoxin may result in coughing, dyspnea (shortness of breath), and bronchial spasms. [5] No human fatalities have yet been attributed to NSP, but the concentrations of brevetoxins produced in annual algal blooms are responsible for significant annual animal fatalities along the Gulf of Mexico and the south/mid-Atlantic coast. [6]

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Legend/credit: Electron micrograph of the Ebola Zaire virus. This was the first photo ever taken of the virus, on 10/13/1976. By Dr. F.A. Murphy, now at U.C. Davis, then at the CDC.
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Section 1

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Section 2

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Conclusion

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References

[Sample reference] Takai, K., Sugai, A., Itoh, T., and Horikoshi, K. "Palaeococcus ferrophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a barophilic, hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2000. Volume 50. p. 489-500.

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Edited by [Author Name], student of Joan Slonczewski for BIOL 116 Information in Living Systems, 2013, Kenyon College.