MIcrocystin: the hepatotoxin that shut down Toledo’s water supply

  Microcystin-LR 3.5 out of 5 stars The Toxicology of Microcystins. Dawson RM. Toxicon 1998;36:953-962. Abstract Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the faucet . . . While I was on vacation, the big toxicology story involved contamination of the water supply to Toledo Ohio. As a result almost half a million people in the area were warned not to drink — or even shower with — water from Lake Erie. The cause was a bloom of freshwater cyanobacteria, resulting from increased levels of phosphates and fertilizer. These cyanobacteria product microcystin, a heat-stable hepatotoxin. Microcystin can cause 3 clinical syndromes: Gastroenteritis (nausea, vomiting,diarrhea) Allergic and irritant reactions on local contact Liver damage Microcystin interferes with the function of the hepatic cytoskeleton, causing necrosis and massive liver hemorrhage. Death is from hemorrhagic shock. Since the toxin is heat-stable, boiling water will just increase the concentration. Likewise, treating with chlorine may kill the organism and result in increased toxin release. Hepatotoxicity requires that toxin be transported into the liver cell, a process that is blocked by the antibiotic rifampin. In 1996, 50 patients at a dialysis center in Brazil died of acute liver failure after exposure to water contaminated with microcystin.
Source: The Poison Review - Category: Toxicology Authors: Tags: Medical acute liver failure algae cyanobacteria hepatoxicity microcystin toledo ohio Source Type: news