A fungus that hunts and destroys toxic algae has been discovered in Mediterranean seawater — and it works fast enough that scientists think it could eventually help control some of the worst blooms threatening human health.
The algae in question, Ostreopsis cf. ovata, has been exploding across Mediterranean coasts over the past few decades. When it blooms, it releases ovatoxin, a toxin that causes respiratory problems, eye irritation, skin rashes, and coughing in people exposed to the water. Toxic algal blooms are becoming more common worldwide as warming water and nutrient runoff create ideal conditions for uncontrolled growth.
A Microscopic Solution
Scientists from Yokohama National University and Spain's Institut de Ciències del Mar identified the fungus, now named Algophthora mediterranea, in Spanish seawater samples collected in 2021. DNA analysis revealed it's not just a new species — it's an entirely new genus. The researchers named it Algophthora, literally "algae-destroyer" in Greek.
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Start Your News DetoxWhat makes this fungus remarkable is how it operates. It infects the toxic algae cells and kills them within days. Time-lapse photography captured over four days showed the fungus systematically consuming its host. But here's the unusual part: it doesn't stop at one type of algae. Lab tests showed it can infect multiple algae species and even feed off pollen grains — an adaptability that surprised the research team.
"Although previous DNA surveys have revealed a wide diversity of marine fungi, only a handful of parasitic species have ever been isolated," said PhD student Núria Pou-Solà. "Our newly described species stands out for its unusually broad host range and distinctive feeding strategy."
The discovery opens a door that marine biology has largely left closed. Until now, parasitic fungi in ocean ecosystems have been understudied — we know they exist, but we've barely scratched the surface on understanding how they shape the ocean's chemistry and food webs. This fungus, with its versatile appetite, could be a key player in that larger story.
The research team's next step is to understand how Algophthora behaves in real ocean conditions, where it would compete with other organisms and face unpredictable variables. If it proves resilient enough to survive in the wild, it could eventually become part of the toolkit for managing harmful algal blooms — not as a silver bullet, but as one piece of a larger strategy to keep toxic blooms in check.
