Cyanobacteria are the scientific name for bluegreen
algae, or “pond scum”. The first recognized
species were blue-green in colour, which is how the
algae got their name. Cyanobacteria are
photosynthetic prokaryotic microalgae which can
exist in a wide range of environments such as arctic,
hot and cold deserts, in hypersaline lakes and thermal
springs.1-5 They are also found in marine, brackish
and freshwater environments and in soils. The growth
of cyanobacteria and formation of blooms are
influenced by a variety of physical, chemical and
biological factors such as temperature, light intensity,
turbidity, nutrient and pH. Fresh cyanobacteria may
accumulate in surface water supplies as a “bloom”
and may concentrate on the surface as a blue-green
“scum”. Cyanobacteria produces a wide variety of
secondary metabolites. Out of the 208 compounds,
about 40% of cyanobacterial compounds had
anticancer activity.6 They also produce antiviral,
antibacterial and antifungal compounds and toxins.