Abdullah, L, Ferguson, S, Niedospial, D et al. · Harmful algae · 2022 · DOI
Researchers studied whether harmful algal blooms caused by Karenia brevis (a type of seaweed) in Florida's Gulf waters trigger respiratory symptoms, headaches, and nerve-related illness symptoms in people living nearby. They surveyed 258 residents in five coastal counties and found a clear link: when blooms were stronger, more people reported these symptoms. People with previous diagnoses of migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, or memory problems were more likely to report these symptoms during blooms.
This study is important for ME/CFS patients because it documents that people with chronic fatigue syndrome report higher rates of NSP-like and neurological symptoms during K. brevis blooms, suggesting environmental triggers may exacerbate or contribute to symptom severity in vulnerable populations. The findings highlight that individuals with pre-existing neurological conditions, including CFS, may face disproportionate risk from aerosolized brevetoxins and warrant targeted public health protection.
This study does not prove that K. brevis blooms cause ME/CFS, nor does it establish causation between brevetoxin exposure and any of the reported symptoms. The cross-sectional design means temporal relationships cannot be determined, and reliance on self-reported symptoms without clinical diagnosis or objective exposure biomarkers (like blood or urine brevetoxin levels) prevents definitive causal claims.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Abdullah, L, Ferguson, S, Niedospial, D, Patterson, D, Oberlin, S, Nkiliza, A, et al. (2022). Exposure-response relationship between K. brevis blooms and reporting of upper respiratory and neurotoxin-associated symptoms.. Harmful algae. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2022.102286
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-abdullah-2022-exposure-response,
author = {Abdullah, L and Ferguson, S and Niedospial, D and Patterson, D and Oberlin, S and Nkiliza, A and Bartenfelder, G and Hahn-Townsend, C and Parks, M and Crawford, F and Reich, A and Keegan, A and Kirkpatrick, B and Mullan, M},
title = {Exposure-response relationship between K. brevis blooms and reporting of upper respiratory and neurotoxin-associated symptoms.},
journal = {Harmful algae},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1016/j.hal.2022.102286},
note = {PubMed: 35944953},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/abdullah-2022-exposure-response},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/abdullah-2022-exposure-response
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