Question

Can algae cause disease?

Answer 1

Algae:

1. Algae is a group of eukaryotic, photosynthetic organisms.
2. Algae can cause diseases like many pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Some blue-green algae can cause disease in animals. Marine algal bloom can cause many diseases.
3. Eating sea fish and shellfish contaminated with the harmful algal toxin can cause disease in humans as well. Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, paralytic shellfish poisoning, and Ciguatera fish poisoning are the most common.
4. Algal blooms are mostly formed by two phytoplanktons like diatoms and dinoflagellates. Karenia brevis red tide is a harmful algal bloom that produces brevitoxin. This toxin can cause symptoms like throat, eye, skin irritation, asthma attack, shortness of breathing, respiratory irritation, coughing, and sneezing.
5. So, some species of algae can cause disease in humans.