The first characterization of airborne cyanobacteria and microalgae in the Adriatic Sea region
Open accessAbstract
The presence of airborne cyanobacteria and microalgae as well as their negative impacts on human health have been documented by many researchers worldwide. However, studies on cyanobacteria and microalgae are few compared with those on bacteria and viruses. Research is especially lacking on the presence and taxonomic composition of cyanobacteria and microalgae near economically important water bodies with much tourism, such as the Adriatic Sea region. Here, we present the first characterization of the airborne cyanobacteria and microalgae in this area. Sampling conducted between 11th and 15th June 2017 revealed a total of 15 taxa of airborne cyanobacteria and microalgae. Inhalation of many of the detected taxa, including Synechocystis sp., Synechococcus sp., Bracteacoccus sp., Chlorella sp., Chlorococcum sp., Stichococcus sp., and Amphora sp., poses potential threats to human health. Aside from two green algae, all identified organisms were capable of producing harmful metabolites, including toxins. Moreover, we documented the presence of the cyanobacterium Snowella sp. and the green alga Tetrastrum sp., taxa that had not been previously documented in the atmosphere by other researchers. Our study shows that the Adriatic Sea region seems to be a productive location for future research on airborne cyanobacteria and microalgae in the context of their impacts on human health, especially during the peak of tourism activity.
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The ability of cyanobacteria to be aerosolized is well documented in several regions and is dependent on atmospheric conditions such as temperature and humidity.
“The ability of cyanobacteria to be aerosolized is well documented in several regions and is dependent on atmospheric conditions such as temperature and humidity [124,125].”
From Biologically-Based and Physiochemical Life Support and In Situ Resource Utilization for Exploration of the Solar System—Reviewing the Current State and Defining Future Development Needs (2021) · cites this paper as [125]
The Introduction and Results and discussion (Detection of airborne algal and cyanobacterial taxa; pages unavailable) document airborne cyanobacteria in multiple regions. The Meteorological factors section says weather can affect their airborne abundance and species richness, but it does not establish dependence on temperature or humidity specifically; the discussion instead focuses on wind and air-mass movement. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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“The ability of cyanobacteria to be aerosolized is well documented in several regions and is dependent on atmospheric conditions such as temperature and humidity [124,125].”
Background
- Authors
- Wiśniewska, K. A., Śliwińska-Wilczewska, S., & Lewandowska, A. U.
- Affiliations
- University of Gdańsk (PL)
- Corresponding author
- Wiśniewska, Kinga A.
- Lewandowska, Anita U.
- Venue
- PLOS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2020-09-10
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- e0238808
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7482968
- OpenAlex
- W3086218751
- Cited by
- 27
- References
- 77
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7
- FWCI
- 1.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- NCN (2019/33/N/ST10/00585)
- BMN (539-O160-B432-20)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology
- Keywords
- atmospheric aerosols, Adriatic Sea, human health risk, inhalation exposure, cyanotoxins, Synechococcus, Synechocystis, Chlorella, Chlorococcum, Stichococcus, amphorae
- MeSH terms
- Air Microbiology, Cyanobacteria, Bacterial Toxins, Humans, Public Health, Toxins, Biological, Mediterranean Region, Microalgae
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