Molecular Detection of Cylindrospermopsin-Producing Cyanobacteria in the Coasts of Hormozgan Province, Iran

Background: In recent years, water and environmental pollution by cyanobacteria have been increasingly reported as a serious hazard to human health in the world. Cylindrospermopsin is one of the most important algal toxins produced by cyanobacteria that can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, thymus, and heart. The aim of this study was to detect cylindrospermopsin-producing cyanobacteria accurately and fast in the water resources of the Hormozgan province coast by molecular method. Methods: We collected 20 water samples (2 L) from 20 sampling stations on the coasts of Hormozgan province in October 2017. The genomic DNA was extracted from water samples. Finally, molecular detection was conducted by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Results: The optimized PCR successfully detected 20 cyanobacteria strains from all 20 samples. In addition, the presence of cylindrospermopsin-producing cyanobacteria was confirmed in 2 (10%) stations. Conclusion: Generally, our study confirmed the risk of the presence of toxigenic cyanobacteria on the coasts of Hormozgan province and demonstrated that PCR assay is an accurate and fast method for early detection of cylindrospermopsin-producing cyanobacteria in water resources.