Toxicity of cyanobacteria to mosquito larvae—screening of active compounds

To study toxicity of 76 laboratory‐grown strains of planktonic cyanobacteria to mosquito larvae, hydrophilic and lipophilic cell‐free extracts of cyanobacteria were incubated with larvae of the Aedes aegypti mosquito and death percentages were followed during 2 days. Toxicity was clearly associated with hepato ‐ and neurotoxins of the samples. A strain of Microcystis aeruginosa was most effective, and caused death of the larvae due to a single hepatotoxin. Pure mammalian neurotoxin, anatoxin‐a, was also toxic, and probably acted as a neurotoxin with the mosquito larvae.