June 13, 2008 — Two agents used to treat athlete’s foot may also help battle harmful algal blooms, which can be toxic to fish and shellfish, and potentially lethal to humans.
In laboratory experiments, Takuji Nakashima of the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation in Kisarazu, Japan and colleagues found that two antifungal agents were both effective at killing two types of algae that cause harmful algal blooms, commonly called red tides.
These blooms come in many varieties caused by different algae. The two that Nakashima tested are known to kill fish and shellfish.
“Our results suggested that antifungal agents are effective against the growth of red tides by interfering with the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway in the plankton cells,” Nakashima said.
Ergosterol is part of the cell membrane in fungi, and Nakashima’s new findings suggest it also is critical to the algae studied. Read more…
According to Jessica Marshall
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Posted By: ashley | Jun 13th