Pfiesteria, "the cell from hell," and other toxic algal nightmares.

Abstract

In summer and fall of 1997, in mid-Atlantic region, illness in and humans caused by a toxic dinoflagellate, Pfiesteria piscicida (the fish killer) (figure 1), became one of hottest stories in local newspapers and on television. Frequently referred to as the cell from hell on late-night news reports, Pfiesteria species were identified in early 1990s by Burkholder and colleagues [1] at North Carolina State University (Raleigh) in association with kills in TarPamlico and Neuse River estuaries (figure 2). Pfiesteria species were found in Pocomoke River on lower eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay in 1997 (figure 2), where they were linked to morbidity and mortality, and, most disturbingly, to neurocognitive deficits in humans [2]. Although there was no indication that Pfiesteria species posed a health risk to anyone beyond a small circle of persons with direct exposure to affected waterways, press attention resulted in a dramatic drop in sales of Chesapeake Bay seafood, with losses to seafood industry in excess of $40 million. While Pfiesteria species have generated greatest recent press attention, appearance of these organisms is best considered in context of worldwide increases in occurrence