ToolboxLab TestingAnatoxin-a (Cyanotoxin) Test

Labeled water sample bottles packed for certified lab analysis

Lab Testing

Anatoxin-a (Cyanotoxin) Test

Name: Anatoxin-a (Cyanotoxin) Test
Brand: Lake Pulse
Price: 215.00 USD
Availability: InStock

The fastest-acting cyanotoxin. If an animal is sick, sample now — not after an ID.

$215

Checkout arrives with the store connection. Orders attach to the lake on your account.

Overview

Not sure which toxin to test for? Start with the Rapid Bloom ID & Cell Count. Twenty-four hours and one sample identifies the organisms in your bloom, which tells you which toxin is plausible. Reach for a targeted toxin test once you know what you are dealing with — or when you already do.

The fastest-acting cyanotoxin, and the one most often implicated in sudden animal deaths. Anatoxin-a is a neurotoxin that can kill a dog within an hour of exposure, which is why it was once called Very Fast Death Factor.

Anatoxin degrades quickly in sunlight and moving water, so timing matters more here than with any other toxin in the Toolbox. A sample taken two days after an incident may come back clean from water that was lethal at the time. If something has happened, sample immediately — ahead of the Rapid Bloom ID if you have to choose.

Screening is by ELISA, the method behind most state recreational advisory programmes. Sensitive, fast, and appropriate for a swim-or-no-swim decision. It is not congener-specific — it reports a total, not a breakdown. Ask the Boathouse about LC-MS/MS confirmation if you need congener detail or a regulatory-grade result.

Because anatoxin degrades and because ELISA methods for it are less established than for microcystin, we recommend LC-MS/MS confirmation when the result will be used in an incident investigation. EPA Method 545 is the reference method. Ask the Boathouse.

Cyanobacteria produce more toxins than these three. Cylindrospermopsin, nodularin, guanitoxin, lyngbyatoxin, BMAA and others can all appear in fresh water. If you need a toxin not listed in the Toolbox, contact Lake Pulse and we will arrange it.

What's measured & how

1 parameter · Cyanotoxin screen, immunoassay

What's measured & how for Anatoxin-a (Cyanotoxin) Test
Parameter	Result type	Unit	Analytical method
Anatoxin-a	Quantitative	µg/L	ELISA

Anatoxin-a
Result type:
Quantitative
Unit:
µg/L
Analytical method:
ELISA

You get

Signed laboratory report, filed in your lake's Documents & Reports
Each result loaded into your lake's Data Library (Plus, Lake Admin, PRO)

How it's produced

Test type: Cyanotoxin screen, immunoassay
Sample: One surface-water grab sample, collected by you with the kit
Return shipping: Prepaid 2-day return to the laboratory
Analyzed by: Independent accredited partner laboratory, with full chain of custody
Method basis: Screening (ELISA)
Analytical method: ELISA

Product category

Physical ProductShips to you
ConsumableLab testing

Availability
Kit ships in 2 business days
Shipping
Flat-rate to your front door. Shipping details
SKU
LP-PT-003

Example result

Not detected

Method: ELISA

Not proof of absence.

Below the laboratory reporting limit. Not proof the toxin is absent.

Turnaround

Results are available within 7 business days of the lab receiving your sample.

What problem does this solve for our lake?

Almost every sudden animal death on a lake is investigated after the evidence has gone. A dog swims, collapses within the hour, and by the time anyone connects it to the water and thinks about sampling, two days have passed and the lake looks fine.
Anatoxin-a is the reason. It is the fastest-acting cyanotoxin — once called Very Fast Death Factor — and it degrades quickly in sunlight and moving water. A sample taken after a weekend can come back clean from water that was lethal on Saturday. That combination, extreme speed of effect and rapid degradation, is why anatoxin incidents are so often unexplained.
This test exists for two situations. The first is an incident: something has happened, and you need documentation while the toxin is still detectable. That is a matter of hours, not days, and it is the one case where you should sample before identifying the organism. The second is a bloom dominated by a known producer — Dolichospermum most commonly — where you want to know what you are living with before anyone gets hurt.

What's included?

A complete cyanotoxin sampling kit shipped directly to you
All materials required for clean, contamination-free sample collection
Step-by-step collection and preservation instructions written for a bloom event
Prepaid 2-day return shipping to our certified partner laboratory
ELISA analysis for anatoxin-a at an accredited partner laboratory, with full chain of custody
LC-MS/MS confirmation available on request, using EPA Method 545
Results loaded automatically into your lake's account

What's not included

Sample collection. You collect the sample; we supply everything you need to do it correctly.
Identification of which organism produced the toxin. That is the Rapid Bloom ID & Cell Count.
Boat, dock, or shoreline access to your sampling site
Ice or a cooler for shipping, which you supply
Other cyanotoxins. Microcystin, saxitoxin, and cylindrospermopsin are separate analyses.
Congener or variant breakdown. ELISA reports a total.
A public health determination. We report the concentration; your state's advisory thresholds govern the decision.
Beach closure authority, signage, or notification to residents
Treatment, remediation, or applicator services

Requirements

A sample collected from the bloom itself if you are documenting an event, or from open water if you are characterizing the lake — the two answer different questions and should be labeled accordingly
Same-day shipment after collection
Ice and a cooler; the sample must stay cold in transit
Ideally, a Rapid Bloom ID result or other reason to believe this is the right toxin to test for
A Plus, Lake Admin, or PRO subscription to have results loaded into your Lake Pulse account
Questions about site selection, timing, or which toxin to test for? Contact the Lake Pulse Boathouse before you order.

What you get back

Results

Anatoxin-a concentration reported in ug/L
A result directly comparable to your state's recreational advisory threshold
A rapid-onset neurotoxin result suitable for documenting an animal exposure incident
Defensible documentation of a bloom event for a state agency, insurer, or board record
Results load automatically into your lake's Data Library in the Lake Pulse Portal
Data can be charted in the Analytics Hub, used to trigger alerts, or shared across your lake community
A downloadable, signed lab report is filed in your lake's Documents & Reports for permanent reference
Results are found in your lake's portal, accessible only to Plus, Lake Admin, and PRO subscription tiers

Pro tips

This is the one exception to starting with Rapid Bloom ID. If an animal has died or collapsed after water contact, sample for anatoxin immediately — the toxin degrades while you wait for an identification.
Speed is the whole game. Anatoxin degrades in sunlight and moving water within days. Sample within hours, not after the weekend.
Sample the scum, and sample where the animal was. Anatoxin concentrates in surface accumulations along the downwind shore, which is exactly where a dog drinks.
A clean result days later proves nothing. Report it as "not detected in this sample on this date," never as evidence the lake was safe at the time of the incident.
Dolichospermum is the most common producer in North American lakes, along with Cuspidothrix and some Oscillatoria.
For an incident investigation, ask about LC-MS/MS. ELISA is a good screen; a report that may end up in a veterinary or legal file should use the reference method.
Test it alongside microcystin if a bloom is dense and your lake has a history. The two toxins come from different species and a lake can carry both.

Results sync to the Portal for Plus, Lake Admin, and PRO subscribers

Results from this product land in your lake's shared record in the Portal — next to everything else your lake has ever measured, instead of in an inbox.

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About these results

Every result shows the date and time the sample was collected. Results reflect one sample, collected at a specific place and depth, and analyzed by an independent accredited laboratory using the method listed on this page. Lake conditions change across a lake and over time, sometimes within hours, in ways a single sample may not capture. Every method has detection and reporting limits; where the laboratory provides them, they are reported with your results. A detection is not a diagnosis, and a non-detection does not prove absence. Results are not a regulatory or compliance determination unless the agency involved accepts them as one. Lake Pulse reports measurements; it does not determine whether water is safe for swimming, drinking, pets, or recreation. Always follow posted signs and your state or local health advisories. Recommendations are options to consider; decisions, and responsibility for any action taken, rest with you.

This test uses a screening or non-EPA method. Results are intended for management decisions, not regulatory determinations. Blooms move, and toxin production can change quickly. A low or non-detected result applies only to the water sampled. The absence of a detected bloom or toxin does not mean the water is safe.

Questions on this?

Our team can help you choose the right solution for your lake, explain how results sync to your Portal, or point you to the right subscription.

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