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Manganelli M, Testai E, Tazart Z, Scardala S, Codd GA. Co-Occurrence of Taste and Odor Compounds and Cyanotoxins in Cyanobacterial Blooms: Emerging Risks to Human Health? Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11040872. [PMID: 37110295 PMCID: PMC10146173 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11040872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria commonly form large blooms in waterbodies; they can produce cyanotoxins, with toxic effects on humans and animals, and volatile compounds, causing bad tastes and odors (T&O) at naturally occurring low concentrations. Notwithstanding the large amount of literature on either cyanotoxins or T&O, no review has focused on them at the same time. The present review critically evaluates the recent literature on cyanotoxins and T&O compounds (geosmin, 2-methylisoborneol, β-ionone and β-cyclocitral) to identify research gaps on harmful exposure of humans and animals to both metabolite classes. T&O and cyanotoxins production can be due to the same or common to different cyanobacterial species/strains, with the additional possibility of T&O production by non-cyanobacterial species. The few environmental studies on the co-occurrence of these two groups of metabolites are not sufficient to understand if and how they can co-vary, or influence each other, perhaps stimulating cyanotoxin production. Therefore, T&Os cannot reliably serve as early warning surrogates for cyanotoxins. The scarce data on T&O toxicity seem to indicate a low health risk (but the inhalation of β-cyclocitral deserves more study). However, no data are available on the effects of combined exposure to mixtures of cyanotoxins and T&O compounds and to combinations of T&O compounds; therefore, whether the co-occurrence of cyanotoxins and T&O compounds is a health issue remains an open question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maura Manganelli
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Environment and Health, viale Regina Elena, 299, 00162 Rome, Italy; (E.T.); (S.S.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Emanuela Testai
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Environment and Health, viale Regina Elena, 299, 00162 Rome, Italy; (E.T.); (S.S.)
| | - Zakaria Tazart
- Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, University of Malta, 2080 Msida, Malta;
| | - Simona Scardala
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Environment and Health, viale Regina Elena, 299, 00162 Rome, Italy; (E.T.); (S.S.)
| | - Geoffrey A. Codd
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK;
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
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