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Blue-Green Algal (Cyanophyta) Toxins, Charles P. Mason

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

In the past toxin production by blue-green algae has been demonstrated by feeding large quantities of algae to vertebrates and observing symptoms leading to animal death. It was the purpose of this investigation to develop a more convenient way to test for the presence of an alga toxin using instead of vertebrates, other algae and those organisms with which it lives and competes in fresh water habitats. Using axenic algae cultures and three different agar media MBL, DAA and NA, the latter to check for bacterial contamination, algae were streaked on the agar surface in petri dishes to form a …