Molecular Methods for Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins in Recreational Water

Background

Our collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) began in 2015 when Dr. Schellhorn met a key Ministry of the Environment, Conservation Parks (MECP) scientist, (Dr. Michelle Palmer), an algal bloom specialist, at a wastewater conference in Hamilton. Their initial discussion centered on the potential of using DNA sequencing technologies to characterize microbial communities associated with algal blooms. This conversation initiated a collaboration that has spanned 10 years, during which the Schellhorn lab conducted preliminary analyses of algal bloom samples collected by the MECP in 2014 and 2015. This initial work was primarily carried out by Rachelle Atrache, an MSc student, and Drs. Ethan Paschos and Mahbuba Rahman, adjunct members of the Biology department. Together with Dr. Tom Edge, this work was extended and continued by a senior graduate student (now post-doc) Faizan Saleem and Enze Li who helped mentored several excellent students in this water monitoring project (Jennifer Jiang, Kevin Tran and Adam Boere).

Current Projects

In 2022, following the completion of a water-related project funded by the MECP, the MECP funded a second study with the Schellhorn lab aimed at comprehensively characterizing algal blooms and developing a more informed public health response. This response would enable end-users to assess the economic and health risks associated with algae (specifically cyanobacteria) that form potentially harmful algal blooms (HABs) in their respective areas. The MECP grant agreement required the completion and publication of a review on methodology, as well as an analysis of our prior algal bloom data; both of which have been published (see below). Furthermore, we partnered with other agencies to create a broader partnership of scientists, encompassing engineers and biologists to address the problems of HABs in Ontario. This collaborative work has also been published as an interim progress report. The Schellhorn lab is currently finalizing the remaining goals of the grant agreement, which include an evaluation of specific technologies used in algal bloom detection, such as microscopy, AI-driven detection/particle recognition (useful foralgae at the microscopic level), toxin analysis, and DNA detection.

A matching NSERC Alliance grant has facilitated a co-funding three-year extension of the project, crucial for achieving a more comprehensive completion of project goals including Drs. Q. Fang, Y. Kim, Chang-qing Xu and R. Gupta. As part of the Interdisciplinary Freshwater Harmful Algal Bloom group, the Schellhorn lab, through MacWater, is coordinating the 2025 Annual Meeting of this international group in Hamilton at the McMaster David Braley Health Center. This venue selection is intended to facilitate attendance by numerous local area government scientists, as well as American scientists involved in Great Lakes algal bloom research.

In collaboration with other government scientists, Claire Holeton (MECP) and Arthur Zastepa (Environment and Climate Change Canada), we are continuing to evaluate algal bloom technology at test sites in Muskoka, the Bay of Quinte, and Hamilton Harbour. The latter site has been a persistent problem area for algal blooms, as documented in several recent news articles.

These studies will advance the ability to effectively monitor HABs in the Great Lakes watershed and beyond, improving the ability to avoid public health risks from toxins produced by HABs.

Published Studies

T Hong, M Peng, Y Kim, HE Schellhorn and Q Fang, “Automated cell profiling in imaging flow cytometry with annotation-efficient learning”, Optics &Laser Technology 181, (2025): 111992

F Saleem, R Atrache, JL Jiang, KL Tran, E Li, A Paschos, TA Edge and HE Schellhorn, “Characterization of Taxonomic and Functional Dynamics Associated with Harmful Algal Bloom Formation in Recreational Water Ecosystems”, Toxins 16, no.6 (2024): 263

F Saleem, JL Jiang, E Li, K Tran, A Boere, M Rahman, A Paschos and HE Schellhorn, “Regional and Longitudinal Dynamics of Cyanobacterial Blooms/Cyanobiome and Cyanotoxin Production in the Great Lakes Area”, Toxins 16, no.11 (2024): 471.

F Saleem, JL Jiang, R Atrache, A Paschos, TA Edge and HE Schellhorn, “Cyanobacterial algal bloom monitoring: Molecular methods and technologies for freshwater ecosystems”, Microorganisms 11, no.4 (2023): 851