Talk:Pfiesteria

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The subject of this article is controversial and content may be in dispute. When updating the article, be bold, but not reckless. Feel free to try to improve the article, but don't take it personally if your changes are reversed; instead, come here to the talk page to discuss them. Content must be written from a neutral point of view. Include citations when adding content and consider tagging or removing unsourced information.

Nearly every result from the following, disagrees with the author's claim regarding toxicity. http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=pfiesteria+piscicida&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Search --Kmclaughlin 10:37, 30 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think it's a bit more involved than that. From what I've read, it isn't completely clear that Pfiesteria is toxic per se, but P. shumwayae is a nasty little bug nevertheless, capable of destroying skin tissue on fish directly. Whoever wrote the bulk of this article is either misinterpreting the current state of research or is trying to whitewash the issue; certainly the given references say a lot more than the article seems willing to admit. Overall, this article needs serious help and is worse than useless for anyone trying to learn about Pfiesteria. Haikupoet 03:56, 10 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

New Research[edit]

I updated this today to reflect the most recent research. A NOAA scientist has isolated the fish killing toxin produced by P. Piscidida. The results were published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science and Technology this week. Hopefully, this will allow this article to stay as it is, reflecting our best understanding of the dinoflagellate. The Litaker et al article was 5 years ago and plenty more research has been done on both species of Pfiesteria since then.

References to Pfiesteria[edit]

I added a section "See also" to the article, with a reference to the 2004 novel The Swarm by Frank Schätzing. The amoeba plays a role in the novel as a toxin that has infected seafood, causing several deaths. Allegedly, the author has done a lot of research into marine biology, but nevertheless, this is a work of fiction. TCATB 00:26, 8 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

At about 27-28 minutes into the 2007 flick "The Reaping" there is reference to Pfiesteria Mizerydearia (talk) —Preceding undated comment was added at 10:27, 23 October 2008 (UTC).[reply]

Overlap with Pfiesteria piscicida[edit]

I've rewritten most of this article to minimize the overlap with the species article. Most if not all of the deleted content is present word-by-word in the other article. I've also taken out the external links section in favor of adding inline references. I'm not familiar with the controversy beyond what I've read in sources, so if anything was missed, please feel free to add. - tameeria (talk) 20:55, 6 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]