Advances in Detecting, Monitoring, Predicting, Managing and Controlling Harmful Algal Blooms

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine and Freshwater Toxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 546

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Interests: public health microbiology; antimicrobial analysis and discovery; freshwater algal blooms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Harmful freshwater algal blooms have become a major environmental and public health issue worldwide. Freshwater cyanobacterial blooms can produce toxic substances (also known as cyanotoxins) that seriously threaten the lives of humans and animals. With global climate warming and anthropogenic eutrophication increasing, the intensity, duration, and magnitude of harmful algal blooms present an escalating trend in the water bodies around the world. So far, substantial efforts have been made to understand the nature, causes, and health impacts of cyanotoxin and harmful algal blooms. These efforts constitute the growing endeavor to guide the development of technologies to detect cyanotoxins and harmful cyanobacteria, and to monitor, forecast, control, and manage harmful algal blooms.

To highlight recent advances in studying freshwater algal blooms, this Special Issue covers a broad spectrum of cyanobacterial bloom research topics, from the nature and ecology of cyanotoxin and algal bloom, analytical technologies, causes, and health impacts, to monitoring, forecasting, managing, and controlling algal blooms, organized as follows:

  1. Analytical technologies (immunoassay, chromatography-based methods, etc.) for cyanotoxins (e.g., microcystin, anatoxin-a) and toxigenic cyanobacteria (e.g., microcystin-producing cyanobacteria);
  2. Ecology of cyanotoxins and cyanobacteria;
  3. Causes of cyanobacterial blooms;
  4. Health effects of cyanobacterial blooms;
  5. Monitoring cyanobacterial blooms using satellite remote monitoring technologies;
  6. Forecasting cyanobacterial blooms with various models (including artificial intelligence technology);
  7. Managing and controlling cyanotoxins and harmful algal blooms using various chemical, physical, and biological measures.

Dr. Chenlin Hu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cyanobacteria
  • algal bloom
  • cyanotoxin
  • cause detecting
  • monitoring
  • predicting
  • managing
  • controlling

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

25 pages, 591 KB  
Review
Microorganism-Based Strategies for the Control of Cyanobacterial Blooms: A Review of Recent Progress
by Wangle Zhang, Shiyuan Meng, Xiaoxu Wu, Hong Shen, Dongqin Wang, Tong Qiu, Weijie Li, Jiping Chen, Ling Li, Bingbing Liang, Mengdi Zhao, Xuwei Deng and Chi Zhou
Toxins 2025, 17(12), 604; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins17120604 - 17 Dec 2025
Viewed by 180
Abstract
Cyanobacterial blooms, which are increasingly exacerbated by eutrophication and climate change, pose threats to ecosystems and public health. This paper systematically reviews recent advances in microbial intervention strategies for controlling cyanobacterial blooms. Current approaches primarily comprise direct lysis methods, indirect suppression methods, and [...] Read more.
Cyanobacterial blooms, which are increasingly exacerbated by eutrophication and climate change, pose threats to ecosystems and public health. This paper systematically reviews recent advances in microbial intervention strategies for controlling cyanobacterial blooms. Current approaches primarily comprise direct lysis methods, indirect suppression methods, and integrated strategies. Direct algicide methods rapidly lyse cyanobacterial cells and degrade toxins, although their application is constrained by environmental sensitivity and host specificity. Indirect approaches offer sustainable preventive strategies by inhibiting cyanobacterial growth, yet require careful environmental management. Integrated methods combine microbial strategies with other technologies, enhancing both the efficiency and ecological safety of managing cyanobacterial blooms. While microbial strategies demonstrate significant potential, practical implementation faces challenges, including environmental adaptability, ecological safety, and regulatory frameworks. Future research should focus on integrating synthetic biology, intelligent delivery systems, and multi-omics technologies to achieve more effective and environmentally friendly management of cyanobacterial blooms. Full article
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