This data set is composed of all animals received as a diagnostic submission to the USGS-National Wildlife Health Center for which algal toxin testing was performed from November 1998 to January 2018. Birds with a histologic diagnosis of avian vacuolar myelinopathy, a disease caused by the algal toxin aetokthonotoxin, are also included. Algal toxins tested for include brevetoxin, cylindrospermopsin, domoic acid, microcystin, and saxitoxin. Case-accession number, species, state collected, month and year collected, and detection or non-detection of the algal toxin is reported.

This data set is comprised of three tables with results of algal toxin screening for saxitoxin and domoic acid. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to screen seabirds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, 2017.

This data set is comprised of two tables with results of algal toxin screening for saxitoxin and domoic acid. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to screen seabirds, forage fish, and marine invertebrates from the Gulf of Alaska, 2015-2017.

Algal toxins are a growing concern worldwide. Rapid assessment test strips are a newer technology and their accuracy in detecting toxins in different lakes with different phytoplankton and toxins present is unknown. This data release is supported by our testing of toxin test strips. This research took place in Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. The research will indicate whether these test strips are accurate for this system, and hopefully lay the foundation for a cost-effective harmful algal blooms (HABs) monitoring and communication tool for Voyageurs National Park and other parks. The utility of the test strips in this system may lead to broader applications, for instance in other inland systems like the nearby Lake of the Woods and Isle Royale National Park or other northern temperate lakes.

This data set is comprised of results associated with a multi-stage experimental study to determine the effects of paralytic shellfish toxin ingestion by Common Murres (Uria aalge) conducted in 2021-2022. Data is comprised of eight spreadsheets covering each phase of the study including specific bird dosing data, behavioral observation data, foraging trial data, and tissue testing results for Saxitoxin (STX) and related congeners.

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. National Park Service, conducted a study to determine the presence of algal toxins and Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) within Pipestone National Monument located in Pipestone County in southwestern Minnesota. Three algal toxins (microcystins, saxitoxin, and anatoxin-a) were analyzed in 12 water-quality samples collected from 8 surface and 2 quarry-water sample sites by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods. Two of the three analyzed algal toxins (microcystins and anatoxin-a) were also analyzed using immunosorbent strip test methods. All analysis kits were provided by Abraxis Inc. (Warminister, Pa) and analyses were completed at the U.S. Geological Survey - Upper Midwest Water Science Center in Mounds View, Minnesota. MAP was analyzed in 16 water-quality samples and 8 sediment samples collected from 8 surface-water sample sites by multiple real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. These data are a part of a larger study and an associated report documented in the U.S. Geological Survey Investigations Report 2023-XXXX (http://doiXXXXXplaceholder).

With mortalities of avian wildlife sometimes inferred to be associated with exposure to harmful algal bloom events, the need for clarifying diagnostic parameters for helping to justify case diagnoses is needed. Hence, adult female mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) were exposed to a controlled administration of microcystin-LR, and their liver cells were studied for biomarkers of exposure and effect by using flow cytometric and microscopic methods, and an enzyme assay.

This data set is composed of data collected from an experimental study inoculating mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) with Saxitoxin and associated control ducks. Data includes the specific of inoculation, observational behavioral data, daily weights, dosing, results of inoculation, testing of samples collected throughout the study, and necropsy results.