Exposed to red tide? Scientists seek volunteers to learn long-term health effects

Researcher Michael Mullan may be one of the few Floridians who’s eager for another red tide.

It’s not that he’s hoping for environmental devastation and human misery, but each bloom adds more data to the picture he and researchers at Sarasota’s Roskamp Institute are piecing together.

And to bring their ongoing study into sharper focus, the nonprofit is seeking volunteers from Southwest Florida.

Roskamp has studied the causes and potential cures for neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease, multiple sclerosis and Gulf War Illness. Their work has led to new treatments being clinically tested in Europe and the U.S. The institute is partnering with the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System on the study, which is funded by with a $400,000 federal grant.

The goal is to understand the neurological effects of brevetoxins, said Mullan, Roskamp’s executive director. They’re the harmful compounds produced by Karenia brevis, the saltwater algae responsible for red tide. In large numbers, the microorganisms give the surrounding water a red tint, lending the algae its common name.

The work kicked off in May, with a core group of volunteers from Sarasota and Manatee counties, but Roskamp researchers want to expand its reach farther south, since Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties also suffered environmentally catastrophic 2018 blooms that lingered for more than a year.

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Beyond the countless creatures killed, the blooms drove humans off the beaches and sent some to doctors’ offices and emergency rooms with respiratory woes as well as severe headaches and other neurological problems.

Six months in, the study is already yielding intriguing results.

What’s already clear is that brevetoxins do not affect everyone equally, says research team leader Dr. Laila Abdullah.

“Some people are relatively unaffected by it, whereas others get severe symptoms very easily. We are very interested to know the reason for this, and so we are examining the role of the immune system and looking at differences in neurological effects between those that have severe symptoms versus those that do not.”

People exposed to the blooms produce antibodies to the toxin, but levels also vary widely, Mullan says.

“If you take 100 people you know were all exposed … maybe two thirds of them have very low antibody levels,” he said. “But then another group have considerably higher, and this group really stands out.”

The question is: What does that mean?

“Is it good to have that strong immune response or is it bad?” he asks. “So far, there’s no clear correlation.”

Which is why he’s keenly awaiting another bloom.

“What we’re really interested in is what happens when both get reexposed. So while you never want to be hoping for a bloom, when the next one comes, that’s the thing we’ll be looking at.”

Whether respiratory and nervous system symptoms are related is an open question.

“We want to know if they’re linked or can be associated in any way,” Mullan said. “They might not, in fact, it might be inversely correlated, because if you don’t get any signs and symptoms, you don’t run away from (red tide), so you may expose yourself to higher levels. We just don’t know at this point.”

Learn more, volunteer

The Roskamp Institute, a Sarasota-based nonprofit dedicated to understanding and treating diseases like Alzheimers, is seeking volunteers from Southwest Florida for a clinical research study focused on understanding the impacts of environmental toxins, particularly red tide.

Participants will be required to participate in one visit where they will answer a questionnaire and then provide a blood sample.

To join the study, call 941-256-8018, Ext. 3008.

More information: roskampinstitute.org/news/redtide-study-update-potential-health-risks/