Karenia brevis is a dinoflagellate involved in "red tides" in Florida and other locations. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute had developed a classification for the concentration of these organisms in seawater.
Toxin produced: brevetoxin
Level in Cells per liter
Classification
Possible Symptoms
0
absent
none
1 - 1,000
present
1,001 - 4,999
very low (a)
respiratory irritation possible
5,000 - 10,000
very low (b)
respiratory irritation possible; discontinue shellfish harvesting
10,001 - 49,999
low (a)
respiratory irritation common
50,000 - 99,999
low (b)
respiratory irritation common; possible fish kills; chlorophyll can sometimes be detected by satellite
100,000 - 999,999
medium
respiratory irritation; fish kills likely; chlorophyll can be detected by satellite
>= 1,000,000
high
respiratory irritation; fish kills; water discoloration (red, brown, green, yellow)
where:
• Brevetoxin is implicated in neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (see above)
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Specialty: Toxicology, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care
ICD-10: ,
