Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Antibiotics Research in Mussels from the Coasts of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Sardinia, Italy).

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are compounds found in several environmental compartments whose ubiquitous presence can cause toxicity for the entire ecosystem. Several personal care products, including antibiotics, have entered this group of compounds, constituting a major global threat. It is essential to develop simple and reliable methods by which to quantify these contaminants in several matrices.

Association between rainfall and Escherichia coli in live bivalve molluscs harvested in Sardinia, Italy.

Rainfall is generally accepted as one of the most important factors associated with an increased level of E. coli in bivalve molluscs. Performing microbiological risk assessment is relevant to official control authorities to determine the sanitary status of harvesting areas and, therefore, develop monitoring strategies and identify management practices that could be used to improve the quality and safety of the final product.

Identification and quantification of potential microplastics in shellfish harvested in Sardinia (Italy) by using transillumination stereomicroscopy.

Plastics are non-biodegradable polymers made up of different groups of petrochemical materials. Several biotic and abiotic factors can change the density of plastic fragmenting it and originating microplastics (MPs). MPs have been defined as small pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in size.

Detection of Fish Allergens in Foods Using an In-House Real-Time PCR Targeting the Ribosomal 18S rRNA Gene.

Fish is one of the major food allergens which, in sensitised individuals, can cause life-threatening allergic reactions, even when present in small amounts. To protect consumers' health, the correct labeling of foods is important. The objective of the present study was to validate an in-house real-time PCR method targeting the ribosomal 18S rRNA gene as universal DNA marker for the detection of fish in foods.

Colorimetric Analysis and Determination of Histamine in Samples of Yellowfin Tuna () Marketed in Sardinia (Italy) by a Combination of Rapid Screening Methods and LC-MS/MS.

The consumption of fishery products has been steadily increasing in recent decades. Among the quantitatively more important species, the yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), is one of the main at-risk species as regards the possibility to present important levels of histamine and to be associated with the so-called “Scombroid Fish Poisoning”. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the colorimetric parameters, the occurrence, and the quantification of histamine contamination in yellowfin tuna samples marketed in Sardinia (Italy) by a combination of rapid screening and official control methods.

Qualitative determination of histamine in canned yellowfin tuna () marketed in Sardinia (Italy) by rapid screening methods.

Histamine is produced by the bacterial decarboxylation of histidine, an ammino acid present in large amount especially in scombroid fish such as tuna. Fish containing high levels of histamine have been associated with many instances of "scombroid poisoning". Since histamine is heat resistant, its presence has been used as an indicator of the good manufacturing practice and of the preservation state of canned tuna.

New evidence of pectenotoxins in farmed bivalve molluscs from Sardinia (Italy).

Several planktonic dinoflagellates can produce lipophilic phycotoxins that represent a significant threat to public health as well as to shellfish and fish farming. Poisoning related to some of these toxins is categorised as diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. We analysed 975 shellfish samples from Tortoli in the central-eastern region of Sardinia (Italy) from January 2016 to March 2020, to investigate the prevalence of different lipophilic marine biotoxins in mollusc bivalves.

Influence of seasonality on the presence of okadaic acid associated with species: A four-year study in Sardinia (Italy).

In Sardinia (Italy), bivalve molluscs production plays an important role in the trade balance. Diarrhoetic shellfish poisoning (DSP), an intoxication caused by the ingestion of bivalve molluscs that have accumulated high levels of Okadaic acid (OA), may represent a serious risk for the public health and a remarkable economic loss for the producers. Aim of this work was to improve knowledge about the repeatability of OA accumulation phenomena in various seasons trying to understand whether or not there was a trend.

Recent findings of paralytic shellfish toxins linked to the genus Alexandrium Halim in Mediterranean mollusc production areas.

Paralytic shellfish poisoning is a human intoxication syndrome associated with the consumption of seafood that has been contaminated with paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), a group of natural neurotoxic alkaloids produced by marine dinoflagellates, including some Alexandrium species. This study presents findings of PSTs in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) during 2018-2019 in several mollusc production areas of Sardinia (Italy, western Mediterranean). Investigations of the presence and abundance of PST-producing microalgal species in marine water and of the toxins associated with shellfish were carried out concomitantly.

Bacterial and Viral Investigations Combined with Determination of Phytoplankton and Algal Biotoxins in Mussels and Water from a Mediterranean Coastal Lagoon (Sardinia, Italy).

Calich Lagoon is a Mediterranean coastal lagoon located along the northwestern coast of Sardinia (Italy). The connection to marine and fresh water determines the high productivity of this coastal lagoon. Despite its great potential and the presence of natural beds of bivalve mollusks (), the lagoon has not yet been classified for shellfish production.

Detection of Species and Associated Okadaic Acid in Farmed Shellfish: a Two-year Study from The Western Mediterranean Area.

Introduction: Diarrhoetic shellfish poisoning (DSP), an alimentary intoxication known to lead to intestinal symptoms, and caused by toxins produced by some dinoflagellates (including several ), represents a serious threat to public health. The aim of this paper was to provide information about the occurrence and abundance of potentially toxic harmful algal species causing DSP, and the associated concentration of okadaic acid (OA) toxins. The departing assumption was that in the study area there was an increase in the presence both of species and OA and its derivates that could result in a risk to the health of seafood consumers.

Yessotoxin detection in bivalve molluscs: A case study from coastal mussel farms (Sardinia, Italy).

This work reports the first communication relating to the presence of yessotoxins in from coastal mussel farms (Sardinia, western Mediterranean) detected during 2008 and 2013 through a monitoring programme. The paper emphasizes how the changes both in yessotoxin permitted limits and used methods, established by legislation, have influenced the interpretation of the obtained results. Consequently, the samples that resulted negative during 2008 would have been positive until August 2013 and negative from September 2013 up to now, and the samples that were positive in 2013 would have been positive in 2008 and negative nowadays, according to Regulation currently in force.