Toxic-Pfiesteria--surveillance for human disease in Maryland

The presence of toxic stages of the dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida and other morphologically related organisms was documented in three estuarine waterways on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1997. The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, working closely with the local health departments, established a surveillance system to collect reports of human illnesses. Maryland's experience has formed the base on which national surveillance criteria for Estuary Associated Syndrome have been developed and regional surveillance protocols have been built. The cooperation of practicing physicians is essential to continued surveillance efforts to further delineate the extent and nature of human health effects following exposures to waters where toxic forms of these dinoflagellates are active. Physicians wishing to report persons who may have Estuary Associated Syndrome should contact their local health department. Persons wanting information or wishing to report finding lesioned fish or a fish kill in progress should call the Maryland Pfiesteria Hotline at 1- 888-584-3110.