2005 TPWD Red Tide Response

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Texas Toxic Coastal Critters
Red Tide
Gambierdiscus toxicus
Vibrio vulnificus
Meridith Byrd Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean
Observing System Recreational Boaters
Workshop May 28, 2009
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What is red tide?
Alexandrium sp. bloom Penn Cove,
Coupeville, WA www.serc.carleton.edu
Noctiluca sp. bloom, Southern California
Karenia brevis bloom, Charlotte Harbor, FL
www.fiu.edu
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Texas Red Tide Karenia brevis

• Dinoflagellate
• single-celled algae
• plant and animal traits
• two flagella (locomotion)
• 15 µm in length (2000 per inch)

Tracy Villareal, UT Marine Science Institute
San Jose Island Oct 3, 2006
photo courtesy TDSHS
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Texas Red Tides

• 8 major red tides since 1986
• 60 million fish killed
• 2006 most recent bloom
• Major blooms in late summer or fall
• start in the Gulf, currents transport bloom to
  shore
• Once inshore can last days to months
• Ship channels
• Estuarine areas
• Manmade harbors
• Subdivision canals
• Jetties

Port Mansfield, 1999
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North Padre Island 2006
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2006 Red Tide Fish Kills

• San Jose Island
• Matagorda Island
• Cedar Bayou
• Mustang Island
• Padre Island
• Aransas Bay
• Redfish Bay
• Mesquite Bay
• Corpus Christi Bay

• 22 gulf menhaden
• 21 Atlantic bumper
• 14 worm eel
• 11 gulf whiting
• 9 mullet
• 8 pinfish / pigfish
• 7 ladyfish
• 5 Atlantic croaker
• 3 hardheads, red drum, snook, sand trout, jacks,
  snapper, others

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Where does it come from?

• Resident population in Gulf of Mexico.

What causes a bloom to end?

• Low salinity (20 ppt)
• Cold water (59o F)

How often do blooms occur and why?
Florida yearly Texas 5 years
Padre Island Oct 5, 2005
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October 13, 2005Corpus Christi Bay
Water discoloration easily seen from the air.
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Brevetoxin
commons.wikimedia.org

• Neurotoxin damages or destroys nerve tissue
• enters through fishes gills
• attacks central nervous system paralysis
• accumulates in fishes organs
• seabirds, dolphins, turtles
• accumulates on seagrasses
• green sea turtles, manatees

TPWD photo
www.nepa.gov
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Brevetoxin in shellfish

• concentrates in filter-feeding shellfish
  (oysters, mussels, clams, whelks)
• toxin levels can remain elevated for weeks to
  months
• toxin heat-stable, NOT destroyed by cooking
• Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning
• lips, tongue go numb or tingle
• GI symptoms
• dizziness
• reversal of hot and cold sensations
• Fish and crustaceans do not typically cause NSP

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Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS)
Maryland DNR photo

• Responsible for seafood safety.
• Criteria for bay closures
• Cell counts gt 5000 cells per liter
• Any detectable levels of toxin in shellfish
• Reopening bays can take weeks to months after red
  tide has dissipated

TDSHS photo
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Brevetoxin Human Health Effects

• Aerosols cause
• skin irritation
• coughing
• sneezing
• itchy, watery eyes
• runny nose
• wheezing, shortness of breath

• Symptoms depend on
• Cell concentration
• Wind direction
• Wind velocity
• Wave action

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Calm day lessened symptoms
Rough surf severe effects even with low cell
numbers
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www.tpwd.state.tx.us/hab/redtide
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www.dshs.state.tx.us/seafood/default.shtm
seafood
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Red Tide BrochureTo report a suspected red
tide 281-842-8100512-389-4848(TPWD 24 hr
line)
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Ciguatera Fish Poisoning a New Concern in the
Northwestern Gulf of Mexico
big thanks to Tracy Villareal, UTMSI and Andy
Reich, FL Dept of Health
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Ciguatera Fish Poisoning

• seafood toxicity that produces
  gastrointestinal, neurological, and
  cardiovascular symptoms
• can be fatal
• most cases are less severe although recovery may
  take weeks to years
• has no laboratory test - it is a diagnosis of
  exclusion
• over 400 species of tropical fish reported to be
  ciguatoxic

Halstead, 1967
slide courtesy Tracy Villareal, UT Marine Science
Institute
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Early European explorers reported sickness from
eating fish 1511 Atlantic Ocean 1601 Indian
Ocean 1606 Pacific Ocean
after Halstead 1967

• Typically associated with coral reefs on islands
• Outbreaks are poorly understood
• Multiple routes through food web to predators
  (Kelly et al. 1992)

slide courtesy Tracy Villareal, UT Marine Science
Institute
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Harmful Algal Bloom Food-borne Illnesses
Documented FATALITIES Amnesic Shellfish
Poisoning (ASP) Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning
(PSP) Ciguatera Venerupin Shellfish poisoning
(VSP) Clupeoid Fish Poisoning REALLY UNPLEASANT
(no known fatalities) Diarrhetic Shellfish
Poisoning (DSP) Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning
(NSP)
slide courtesy Tracy Villareal, UT Marine Science
Institute
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Have you had ciguatera? Fish eaten, followed by
these symptoms within 72 hours

• Some of these
• abdominal pain
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• nausea

• 1 of these
• slow heartbeat
• numbness, burning, or pricking around the mouth,
• sensation of temperature reversal

AND
http//www.cdc.gov/nceh/ciguatera/instructions.htm
slide courtesy Tracy Villareal, UT Marine Science
Institute
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ADDITIONAL SYMPTOMS

• extremity numbness
• tingling, pricking, burning, or creeping on the
  skin
• pain in the joints, muscle pain
• malaise (not feeling right)
• itching
• headache
• dizziness
• metallic taste
• visual disturbances
• toothache, feeling of loose teeth

slide courtesy Tracy Villareal, UT Marine Science
Institute
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Ciguatera Poorly Understood

• 50,000 - 500,000 people affected annually around
  the globe (Fleming et al. 1998)
• significant under-reporting
• difficulties confirming cases and no laboratory
  test
• CDC estimates only 2-10 cases reported in the
  US
• 32 of MDs in a ciguatera-endemic area
  (Dade County, FL) could not diagnose it
• only 17 knew the correct treatment (McKee et al.
  2000)
• 95 of the medical costs associated with algal
  toxins in the U.S. are due to ciguatera

slide courtesy Tracy Villareal, UT Marine Science
Institute
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Case study 1999 Amberjack served in a Chicago
restaurant

• led to a cluster outbreak of 21 cases
• only 2 were diagnosed with ciguatera
• Diagnoses included
• allergies
• multiple sclerosis
• rheumatologic diseases
• dental abnormality
• Specialists in urology, infectious disease,
  rheumatology and odontology had been consulted.

slide courtesy Tracy Villareal, UT Marine Science
Institute
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Ciguatera in the Gulf of Mexico

• Few documented cases, no public perception of a
  threat
• Fish migration behavior a factor
• toxin possibly acquired elsewhere, transported
  seasonally
• Significant human activity in the Gulf is
  altering habitat, particularly in the northern
  Gulf
• no oil production platforms before 1942
• now there are about 4000
• possibly the largest artificial reef complex in
  the world.
• Historically tied to island complexes, not
  continental shelves
• Gambierdiscus toxicus has been found on platforms
  along the continental shelf

slide courtesy Tracy Villareal, UT Marine Science
Institute
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Rigs, Coral Reefs, Artificial Reefs
www.aslo.org
Coral reef Artificial Reef Oil rig
Villareal et a. 2007
slide courtesy Tracy Villareal, UT Marine Science
Institute
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2007 change in type of ciguatoxic fish and
number of cases

• A highly publicized case in Galveston, TX created
  a local media frenzy
• Other cases started to surface TX-AL
• Increased awareness

slide courtesy Tracy Villareal, UT Marine Science
Institute
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FDA Advisory Feb 5, 2008

• Within 50 miles of Flower Gardens
• Within 10 nautical miles of Flower Gardens

amberjack
barracuda
king mackerel
yellow jack
horse-eye jack
hogfish
dog snapper
blackfin snapper
marbled grouper
yellowfin grouper
scamp
gag grouper
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Ciguatera Fish Advisory
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Ciguatera Brochure
slide courtesy Andy Reich, Florida Department of
Health
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The genus Vibrio
V. cholerae

• Naturally-occurring bacteria
• 3 dozen species
• Not all cause illness in humans
• Oceans, brackish water worldwide
• Warm temperatures

V. parahaemolyticus
V. vulnificus
slide courtesy Kirk Wiles, Texas Department of
State Health Services
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Vibrio vulnificus

• Occur naturally in warm coastal waters
• Levels highest April-October
• Accumulates in tissues of filter-feeding
  shellfish
• oysters, clams
• does not affect appearance, taste, odor
• food poisoning if raw or undercooked
• Can infect wounds
• Serious consequences in
  at-risk people

slide courtesy Kirk Wiles, Texas Department of
State Health Services
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• Gastroenteritis (food poisoning)
• Occurs after consumption of contaminated food,
  particularly raw oysters
• Vomiting, diarrhea, cramps
• Wound infection
• Occurs after a wound comes in contact with
  seawater containing V. vulnificus
• Swelling, redness, pain
• Often requires surgical debridement, amputation
• Primary septicemia
• Occurs following either of above syndromes
• Fever, chills, skin lesions, drop in blood
  pressure, shock
• 50 of cases are fatal

slide courtesy Kirk Wiles, Texas Department of
State Health Services
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At-risk population includes those with

• Liver disorders (hepatitis, alcoholism,
  cirrhosis)
• risk of death is 200 times greater than those
  without
• Diabetes
• Immunocompromising conditions
• HIV/AIDS
• Cancer
• Autoimmune disorder (lupus)
• Hemochromatosis (metabolic iron disorder)
• Gastric surgery or take antacids for ulcers

slide courtesy Kirk Wiles, Texas Department of
State Health Services
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People without any risk factors

• May develop short duration gastroenteritis
  1 3 days after eating affected shellfish
• May develop skin infection 1 3 days after
  having wound contact with saltwater
• Do not develop septicemia
• Have no long-term consequences
• Infections can be treated successfully with
  antibiotics, if detected early enough

slide courtesy Kirk Wiles, Texas Department of
State Health Services
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Persons who are at risk

• Should never eat untreated raw oysters
• Could eat post-harvest treated oysters
• Processed to reduce V. vulnificus to
  non-detectable levels
• high pressure
• high temperatures
• freezing temperatures
• Should not go in salt water with an open wound
• Are 80 times more likely to develop bloodstream
  infections than healthy people
  (U.S. Centers for Disease Control)
• The infectious dose for V. vulnificus is not known

slide courtesy Kirk Wiles, Texas Department of
State Health Services
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WARNING The next slide shows graphic pictures
of wounds infected with Vibrio vulnificus
slide courtesy Kirk Wiles, Texas Department of
State Health Services
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Examples of wound infections caused by Vibrio
vulnificus.
slide courtesy Kirk Wiles, Texas Department of
State Health Services
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To Avoid Infection

• Do not contact seawater with open wound.
• If you do, wash wound thoroughly with soap and
  water.
• If wound becomes red or inflamed seek medical
  treatment.
• Do not delay seeking treatment.

slide courtesy Kirk Wiles, Texas Department of
State Health Services
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Meridith
hi
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Vibrio infections in Texas
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V. vulnificus Infections in Texas

• Average about 12 cases per year
• Summer consumption of Gulf coast raw oysters
• Some wound infection, septicemia cases
• 81 male/female ratio for V. vulnificus
  infections
• more males eating raw oysters, fishing?
• Average a few deaths per year
• Almost all from V. vulnificus
• Virtually all have one or more risk factors for
  V. vulnificus infection

slide courtesy Kirk Wiles, Texas Department of
State Health Services
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V. vulnificus Infections in Texas

• Many cases likely not reported
• food poisoning, minor infections
• Case counting by TDSHS depends on
• Ill person seeking medical attention
• Health care provider must
• obtain specimen for culturing
• suspect Vibrio
• request specific test
• Laboratory detecting agent in specimen if present
• Laboratory or health care provider reporting to
  local or state health department
• Numbers of reported cases rise with public
  awareness

slide courtesy Kirk Wiles, Texas Department of
State Health Services
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• FOR MORE INFORMATION
• www.safeoysters.org
• Sea Grant
• Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS)
• Kirk Wiles
• 512-834-6757

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• TPWD HAB website
• www.tpwd.state.tx.us/hab
• Meridith Byrd
• 361-575-6306
• meridith.byrd_at_tpwd.state.tx.us