PARENT SESSION
HA8 Cyanobacterial toxins: health and environmental hazards
9:00 AM to 1:30 PM, Thursday, 10 May 2001
Session Chair: V. Vasconcelos
Room 8

(472) The diversity of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in Moroccan water bodies.

Vasconcelos, Vitor¹, Saker, Martin¹, Oudra, Brahim², Loudiki, Mohamed², Sabour, Brahim², Pereira, Elisa¹, ^{1 2}

ABSTRACT- In August 2000 we surveyed a number of Moroccan lakes and reservoirs for the presence of toxic cyanobacteria. Preliminary investigations have revealed a high taxonomic diversity of cyanobacteria and also a high diversity of toxins in Moroccan water bodies. Major species detected in this survey were the mat forming genera; Nostoc, Planktothrix and Lyngbia and also a range of planktonic species including Anabaena, Planktothrix and Microcystis. Preliminary investigations of the toxicity of lyophilised cyanobacterial samples collected from natural blooms were found to be acutely toxic by mouse bioassay and to contain microcystins (measured by ELISA) at concentrations ranging from 1.0 to 340 ug/mg dry weight. Microcystin concentrations measured by elisa were poorly correlated with results from mouse bioassays indicating that other toxins are likely to be present.

Key words: cyanobacteria, toxins, Morocco