Purdue students hope new bacteria stops toxic algae blooms

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - A group of Purdue University students is working on a new bacterial strain they hope can take a bite out of the nation's toxic algae blooms.

The team is working to insert a new gene in the E. coli bacteria in hopes that the modified pathogen will absorb phosphorus from water and thereby remove a nutrient that fuels algae blooms.

Student Paige Rudin tells WLFI-TV (http://bit.ly/29qinc8 ) that "if we remove the phosphorus, we stop the algae growth."

When runoff from pollutants mix with the fresh water and saltwater, giant phosphorescent plumes of algae form and makes that water unsafe for human and aquatic life.

The Purdue team began their work before a massive algae bloom began fouling Florida's southern beaches and rivers this summer.

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Information from: WLFI-TV, http://www.wlfi.com/