New USF study identifies virus that causes red tide
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Researchers at the University of South Florida led a new study that is the first to identify viruses associated with the organism, karenia brevis, that causes red tide.
The study, published in the American Society for Microbiology's journal mSphere, involved researchers testing water samples from red tide blooms off southwest Florida in which they found several viruses, including a new species that is present in red tide blooms.
This discovery shines a light on the environmental factors that cause red tide blooms to grow and marks an important step towards better understanding the virus.
'We know that viruses play an important role in the dynamics of harmful algal blooms, but we haven't known what viruses might be associated with Karenia brevis blooms,' said Jean Lim, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at the USF College of Marine Science (CMS). 'Now that we've identified several viruses in red tide blooms, we can work to determine which viruses might have an influence on these events.'
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Red tide blooms are a naturally occurring event driven by various factors such as ocean circulation, nutrient concentration, and climate change.
Karenia Brevis, the single-celled organism responsible for red tide blooms, can not only kill marine life but also cause respiratory issues ultimately impacting coastal economies that predominantly rely on tourism and fishing.
The findings of this study could not only help predict bloom cycles but perhaps even provide environmentally-friendly ways to manage red tide blooms.
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