Review Article
Toxic Cyanobacteria. A Biological Hazard for Animal and Public Health: A Review
Maria Kalaitzidou1, Evanthia Petridou2, Vangelis Economou2, Alexandros Theodoridis2, Panagiotis Angelidis2, and George Filioussis2*1Department of Public Health Region of Central Macedonia, Greece
2Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
- *Corresponding Author:
- George Filioussis
Laboratory of Hygiene of Food of Animal Origin
School of Veterinary Medicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Tel: +0302310999839
E-mail: georgefilious@vet.auth.gr
Received Date: September 15, 2016; Accepted Date: September 24, 2016; Published Date: September 30, 2016
Citation: Kalaitzidou M, Petridou E, Economou V, Theodoridis A, Angelidis P, et al. (2016) Toxic Cyanobacteria. A Biological Hazard for Animal and Public Health: A Review. Air Water Borne Dis 5:130. doi:10.4172/2167-7719.1000130
Copyright: © 2016 Kalaitzidou M, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are widespread prokaryotic microorganisms, common residents in fresh, brackish and marine waters and terrestrial environments. Many species of them produce toxins as secondary metabolites, the cyanotoxins. They have hepatotoxic, neurotoxic and cytotoxic effects, on animal and human health. Serious intoxications are reported on domestic and wild animals and on pets as well. Moreover, public health incidents have been described during Cyanobacteria l blooms, especially after drinking contaminated water and recreational activities. The aim of this review is to determine the importance of these toxic Cyanobacteria as biological hazard on humans and animals.