Review on Freshwater Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria): Occurrence, Classification and Toxicology

Awatef Saad¹* and Ahmed Atia²

¹ Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ² Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), Jalan Ya'acob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/1522

ABSTRACT:

Cyanobacteria are one of the most diverse groups of gram-negative photosynthetic prokaryotes. Cyanobacteria are prokaryotes have a simple cell structure with a real nucleus Prokaryotic. Their body is made from a single cell, often clustered cells as colonies of different shapes. Cyanobacteria are typically much larger than bacteria in size, it contain many types of pigments such as carotenoids and phycocyanin. A characteristic of water soluble pigment in cyanobacteria gives the group of cyanobacteria their blue green coloration. Cyanobacteria living in individuals places in fresh and salt water, and some other types live in moist soil. The water distinctive bluish colour is results for cyanobacteria blooms when it dies. Researchers found that only about 10% of all blooms types are considered toxins producer. However, it is still ambiguous what triggers that cause to produce its toxin. This review highlights the occurrence of algal cyanobacteriablooms, its classification and toxicology.

KEYWORDS: blue green algae; cyanobacteria; blooms; cyanotoxins; toxins.

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