Marine Biotoxins in Whole and Processed Scallops from the Argentine Sea.

Harmful algal blooms are an increasing worldwide threat to the seafood industry and human health as a consequence of the natural production of biotoxins that can accumulate in shellfish. In the Argentine Sea, this has been identified as an issue for the offshore fisheries of Patagonian scallops (), leading to potentially harmful effects on consumers. Here we assess spatial and temporal patterns in marine biotoxin concentrations in Patagonian scallops harvested in Argentinian waters between 2012-2017, based on analyses for paralytic shellfish toxins, lipophilic toxins, and amnesic shellfish toxins.

The Common Sunstar -A Neurotoxic Starfish.

Saxitoxins (STXs) are a family of potent neurotoxins produced naturally by certain species of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria which are extremely toxic to mammalian nervous systems. The accumulation of STXs in bivalve molluscs can significantly impact animal and human health. Recent work conducted in the North Sea highlighted the widespread presence of various saxitoxins in a range of benthic organisms, with the common sunstar () demonstrating high concentrations of saxitoxins.

Paralytic shellfish toxins and associated toxin profiles in bivalve mollusc shellfish from Argentina.

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning is a potentially fatal syndrome, resulting from the filter-feeding activities of marine molluscs accumulating harmful neurotoxins naturally occurring in microalgae. Outbreaks are well recognised throughout most regions of the world, but with the highest levels of toxicity to date recorded in mussels from Argentina. Whilst toxicity has been documented for selected outbreaks over the years, testing has been conducted using a mouse bioassay.

Outbreak of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning associated with consumption of mussels, United Kingdom, May to June 2019.

We report on six cases of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning following consumption of mussels harvested in the United Kingdom. spp. in the water column was found to have increased rapidly at the production site resulting in high levels of okadaic acid-group lipophilic toxins in the flesh of consumed mussels.

Variability and profiles of lipophilic toxins in bivalves from Great Britain during five and a half years of monitoring: azaspiracids and yessotoxins.

Cefas has been responsible for the delivery of official control biotoxin testing of bivalve molluscs from Great Britain for just over a decade. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) methodology has been used for the quantitation of lipophilic toxins (LTs) since 2011. The temporal and spatial distribution of okadaic acid group toxins and profiles in bivalves between 2011 and 2016 have been recently reported.

Variability of Amnesic Shellfish Toxin and Pseudo-nitzschia occurrence in bivalve molluscs and water samples-Analysis of ten years of the official control monitoring programme.

As the official control laboratory for marine biotoxins within Great Britain, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, in conjunction with the Scottish Association for Marine Science, has amassed a decade's worth of data regarding the prevalence of the toxins associated with Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning within British waters. This monitoring involves quantitative HPLC-UV analysis of shellfish domoic acid concentration, the causative toxin for Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning, and water monitoring for Pseudo-nitzschia spp., the phytoplankton genus that produces domoic acid.

A review of the global distribution of Alexandrium minutum (Dinophyceae) and comments on ecology and associated paralytic shellfish toxin profiles, with a focus on Northern Europe.

Alexandrium minutum is a globally distributed harmful algal bloom species with many strains that are known to produce paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) and consequently represent a concern to human and ecosystem health. This review highlights that A. minutum typically occurs in sheltered locations, with cell growth occurring during periods of stable water conditions.

Variability and profiles of lipophilic toxins in bivalves from Great Britain during five and a half years of monitoring: Okadaic acid, dinophysis toxins and pectenotoxins.

Official control biotoxin testing of bivalve molluscs from Great Britain has been conducted by Cefas for over a decade. Reflecting the changes in legislation, bioassays were gradually replaced by analytical methods, firstly for analysis of Paralytic shellfish toxins, followed by introduction of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric (LCMS/MS) method for lipophilic toxins (LTs) in 2011. Twelve compounds, representing three main groups of regulated lipophilic toxins, as well as two non-regulated cyclic imines were examined in over 20,500 samples collected between July 2011 and December 2016.

Fatal Canine Intoxications Linked to the Presence of Saxitoxins in Stranded Marine Organisms Following Winter Storm Activity.

At the start of 2018, multiple incidents of dog illnesses were reported following consumption of marine species washed up onto the beaches of eastern England after winter storms. Over a two-week period, nine confirmed illnesses including two canine deaths were recorded. Symptoms in the affected dogs included sickness, loss of motor control, and muscle paralysis.

Analysis of Microcystins in Cyanobacterial Blooms from Freshwater Bodies in England.

Cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater bodies in England are currently monitored reactively, with samples containing more than 20,000 cells/mL of potentially toxin-producing species by light microscopy resulting in action by the water body owner. Whilst significantly reducing the risk of microcystin exposure, there is little data describing the levels of these toxins present in cyanobacterial blooms. This study focused on the quantitative LC-MS/MS analysis of microcystins in freshwater samples, collected across England during 2016 and found to contain potentially toxin-producing cyanobacteria.

Detection of Tetrodotoxin Shellfish Poisoning (TSP) Toxins and Causative Factors in Bivalve Molluscs from the UK.

Tetrodotoxins (TTXs) are traditionally associated with the occurrence of tropical Pufferfish Poisoning. In recent years, however, TTXs have been identified in European bivalve mollusc shellfish, resulting in the need to assess prevalence and risk to shellfish consumers. Following the previous identification of TTXs in shellfish from southern England, this study was designed to assess the wider prevalence of TTXs in shellfish from around the coast of the UK.

Variability of paralytic shellfish toxin occurrence and profiles in bivalve molluscs from Great Britain from official control monitoring as determined by pre-column oxidation liquid chromatography and implications for applying immunochemical tests.

As the official control monitoring laboratory in Great Britain for the analysis of marine biotoxins in shellfish, Cefas have for the past five years conducted routine monitoring for paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins (PST) using a non-animal alternative method to the mouse bioassay reference method; a refined version of the AOAC 2005.06 pre-column oxidation liquid chromatography method. Application of this instrumental methodology has enabled the generation of data not only on the occurrence and magnitude of PST events, but also the quantitation and assessment of different PST profiles.