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Nucleic-acid based probes for detecting toxic marine algae that pose a threat to the health and wellbeing of humans and wildlife in many regions of the world.
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Summary: Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have developed patented nucleic-acid based probes for detecting toxic marine algae that pose a threat to the health and wellbeing of humans and wildlife in many regions of the world. These probes target unique ribosomal RNA (rRNA) hypervariable regions to identify a range of Pseudo-nitzschia species. Pseudo-nitzschia can produce toxins that may lead to shellfish poisoning in humans and wildlife. These probes can be used for rapid identification of harmful phytoplankton to manage cultured shellfish and wild resources in order to avoid stock loss in aquaculture and to improve public health safety. Applications: Detection of marine microbes to monitor for potentially toxic and harmful species that may impact human health and aquaculture installations Remote environmental monitoring (if deployed on an autonomous instrument) Advantages: Specific - delineate between potentially toxic from non-toxic conogeners Real time monitoring - rapid testing to identify species in algal bloom No nucleic acid purification or amplicatgion required - rRNAs occur at high copy number per cell, thus providing a naturally amplified hybridization target that can be detected directly in crude sample homogenates