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USE OF MOLECULAR PROBES TO ASSESS GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF PFIESTERIA SPECIES. (R827084)
Citation:
Rublee, P., J. Kempton, E. Schaefer, C. Allen, J. Harris, D. Oldach, H. Bowers, T. Tengs, J. Burkholder, AND J. R. Glasgow. USE OF MOLECULAR PROBES TO ASSESS GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF PFIESTERIA SPECIES. (R827084). ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES. Environmental Health Information Service, 109(5):765-767, (2001).
Description:
We have developed multiple polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods for the
detection of Pfiesteria sp. in cultures and environmental samples. More than 2,100 water and
sediment samples from estuarine sites of the U.S. Atlantic and gulf coasts were assayed for the
presence of Pfiesteria piscicida Steidinger & Burkholder and Pfiesteria shumwayae Glasgow &
Burkholder by PCR probing of extracted DNA. Positive results were found in about 3% of samples
derived from routine monitoring of coastal waters and about 8% of sediments. The geographic range
of both species was the same, ranging from New York to Texas. Pfiesteria spp. are likely common
and generally benign inhabitants of coastal areas, but their presence maintains a potential for fish and
human health problems. (16 References)