ie, not ei is correct.  The initial research was at North Carolina State, though the discovery of the potential high toxicity has led to transfer of most of the work to special facilities elsewhere.

>According to the lady I met today, her husband has become infected with this bacteria (however it's spelled) and she was told that it was a very deadly virus to humans whose immune systems are low.  She says it causes the veins and blood vessels to enlarge and burst...  She feels that this is a very deadly problem for humans that the authorities are keeping quiet.  She was told that the bacteria were airborne.

This suggests confusion on a few points.  Pfiesteria is a dinoflagellate.  Other dinoflagellates include the zooxanthellae that are symbiotic with Tridacna, Corculum, reef corals, and the like as well as the major contributors to the bioluminescence of seawater at night.  They are protists, not bacteria or viruses.  Pfiesteria's notoriety stems from its production, under certain conditions, of potent toxins.  Although the organism lives in brackish water, the toxin can get into air around the water (through splashing, etc.), so the effects can be airborne-enough to require covering lab tanks, but not spreading great distances.  The symptoms are thus a form of poisoning rather than an infection.

I do not know of studies on the effects on mollusks.  Red tide poisons, from other dinoflagellates, can be accumulated by filter-feeding mollusks like oysters.  They then can poison people who eat them.  This may be a risk for Pfesteria, too.  Also, the toxins may possibly be harmful to mollusks.  Although I observed a die-off in a population of Mytilopsis in the Neuse River near New Bern, N.C., my observations of the population were a few years apart, and any number of other factors such as low water levels or pollution could have affected them, in addition to Pfesteria outbreaks.

Some authorities have apparently kept quiet, as it is not the best boost for tourism revenues.  On the other hand, open information could help dispel rumors.  For example, it seems confined to brackish water, so fresh or marine localities are probably safe.

    Dr. David Campbell
    "Old Seashells"
    Biology Department
    Saint Mary's College of Maryland
    18952 E. Fisher Road
    St. Mary's City, MD  20686-3001 USA
    [log in to unmask], 301 862-0372 Fax: 301 862-0996
"Mollusks murmured 'Morning!'.  And salmon chanted 'Evening!'."-Frank Muir, Oh My Word!