Bacterial influence on the production of paralytic shellfish toxins by dinoflagellated algae

This study investigated the role of intracellular and extracellular bacteria in the production of paralytic shellfish toxins by dinoflagellated algal cells. Three strains of the toxic dinoflagellate species, Alexandrium tamarense, were purified by external bacteria using penicillin G (Pen. G) at levels of 500 and 1000 p.p.m. Levels of toxicity of the resulting purified dinoflagellate cultures were similar to those of the original strains contaminated with external bacteria, indicating that the external bacteria had no influence on toxicity. No bacterial colony forming units (cfu) arose from disruption of algal cells derived from penicillin-treated cultures, indicating that intracellular bacteria were not responsible for the toxicity of cultures.