Dermatitis Caused by Algae and Bryozoans
Algae and Bryozoans can cause various clinical pictures. Algae are found in all aquatic environments. Some species of Cyanophyceae (“blue-green algae”) and Dinophyceae classes, present in salt and freshwater, produce one or more toxins, some of which are
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Dermatitis Caused by Algae and Bryozoans Domenico Bonamonte, Angela Filoni, Pietro Verni, and Gianni Angelini
8.1
Dermatitis from Algae
About 30,000 different species of marine and freshwater algae and micro-organisms (Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes) have been identified, that are classified among vegetable species because they are autotrophic (Table 8.1, Fig. 8.1) [1]. Most algae contain chlorophyll, and many have flagella that enable them to move through the water. They are highly variable in size, shape and colour, ranging from microscopic (just 1 μ in diameter) to gigantic forms up to 300 foot long (90 m). As members of the most ubiquitous of the vegetable kingdoms, algae can be found in all environments: geysers, saltwater, freshwater, snow, ice, the Arctic Circle. Some are saprophytic or symbiotic, and develop on other plants or animals. Curiously, algae have been found on sea beds down to 12,000 feet (3660 m), although the sunrays can only penetrate ocean waters down to 900 feet (275 m). Marine and freshwater algae that produce biotoxins and are therefore of medical interest belong to the Cyanophyceae (cyanobacteria, commonly but erroneously known as blue-green algae) (Prokaryotes) and Dinophyceae (Eukaryotes) classes. However, even among these two classes there are only a few toxic species. Cyanobacteria, that are rounded or filament-like in shape, live in fresh- or saltwaters. In some periods of the year they reproduce in great masses, giving rise to the socalled “blooms” in lakes and the seas. There are few freshwater species of D. Bonamonte, MD, PhD ( ) Associate Professor of Dermatology, Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy e-mail: [email protected] A. Filoni, MD • P. Verni, MD University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy G. Angelini, MD Professor of Dermatology, Former Professor and Chairman, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 D. Bonamonte, G. Angelini (eds.), Aquatic Dermatology, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-40615-2_8
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128 Table 8.1 Classification of algae
D. Bonamonte et al. Prokaryotes Bacteriophyta Cyanophyta (cyanobacteria or blue-green algae) Cyanophyceae Eukaryotes Rhodophyta (red algae) Rhodophyceae Chlorophyta (green algae) Chlorophyceae Prasinophyceae Charophyceae Euglenophyta Euglenophyceae Xanthophyta (yellow algae) Xanthophyceae Bacillariophyta (diatomea) Bacillariophyceae Chrysophyta (yellow-brown algae) Chrysophyceae Phaeophyta (brown algae) Phaeophyceae Pyrrhophyta (Dinoflagellates) Dinophyceae Cryptophyta (Cryptomonads) Cryptophyceae Modified from Ghiretti and Cariello [1]
Fig. 8.1 Caulerpa taxifolia (green alga) (Courtesy of Drs. Pablo Helman and Susanna Volpe, “Il quaderno blu”, Provincia di Imperia Ed., 1995)
Cyanophyceae, notably Microcystis aeruginosa, Anabaena flos-aquae and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. The best known toxic marine Cyanophyceae species include Lyngbya majuscola, Oscillatoria nigroviridis, Spirulina platensis and Schirotrix calcicola. Som
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