Pennate Diatom Nitzschia pungens as the Primary Source of Domoic Acid, a Toxin in Shellfish from Eastern Prince Edward Island, Canada

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 1203-1215 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. Bates ◽  
C J. Bird ◽  
A. S. W. de Freitas ◽  
R. Foxall ◽  
M. Gilgan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Domoic Acid ◽  
Food Poisoning ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Pennate Diatom ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Plankton Bloom ◽  
Amphora Coffeaeformis ◽  
Human Poisoning ◽  
Nitzschia Pungens

An outbreak of food poisoning in Canada during autumn 1987 was traced to cultured blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) from the Cardigan Bay region of eastern Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.). The toxin, identified as domoic acid, had not previously been found in any shellfish and this outbreak represents the first known occurrence of human poisoning by this neurotoxin. A plankton bloom at the time of the outbreak consisted almost entirely of the pennate diatom, Nitzschia pungens f. multiseries, and a positive correlation was found between the number of N. pungens cells and the concentration of domoic acid in the plankton. Nitzschia pungens f. multiseries isolated from Cardigan Bay produced domoic acid in culture at levels (1 to 20 pg∙cell−1) comparable with values estimated for N. pungens in the plankton samples. Isolates of several Cardigan Bay phytoplankton, including the closely related species Nitzschia seriata, failed to produce domoic acid. Other Nitzschia spp. and two Amphora coffeaeformis isolates also failed to produce domoic acid. We conclude that N. pungens was the major source of the domoic acid in toxic mussels in eastern P.E.I. The recurrence, in November 1988, of a monospecific bloom of N. pungens and the presence of domoic acid in plankton and mussels reinforced this conclusion.

Domoic Acid—A Neurotoxic Amino Acid Produced by the Marine Diatom Nitzschia pungens in Culture

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (12) ◽  
pp. 2076-2079 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. V. Subba Rao ◽  
M. A. Quilliam ◽  
R. Pocklington
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Chemical Analysis ◽  
River Water ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Domoic Acid ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Marine Diatom ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Blue Mussels ◽  
Nitzschia Pungens

During late 1987, an outbreak of poisoning resulting from the ingestion of cultivated blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) from a localized area in eastern Canada (Cardigan Bay, Prince Edward Island) was associated with massive blooms of Nitzschia pungens, a widely distributed diatom not previously known to produce toxins; human fatalities resulted. Here we provide proof that the causative agent, domoic acid, is indeed produced by this diatom. Although no domoic acid could be detected (<2 ng∙mL−1) in culture medium (FE) prepared from Cardigan River water, it was found in cultures of Nitzschia pungens grown in this medium at concentrations ranging from 0.03 to 0.8 pg∙cell−1 in various separate cultures harvested for chemical analysis 7–68 d after inoculation.

Morphology of the Toxin-Producing Diatom Nitzschia pungens Grunow forma multiseries Hasle

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. MacPhee ◽  
Louis A. Hanic ◽  
Dianne L. Friesen ◽  
David E. Sims
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Cell Motility ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Domoic Acid ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cell Ultrastructure ◽  
Field Samples ◽  
Toxic Blooms ◽  
Nitzschia Pungens

The toxin-producing diatom Nitzschia pungens Grunow forma multiseries Hasle from three toxic blooms in two Prince Edward Island estuaries, spanning 1987–89, was studied using light and electron microscopy. Cell ultrastructure of N. pungens is, in general, similar to that of other species of Nitzschia and other diatoms. Important features include prominent peripheral, polarized nucleoli (numbering one or two) and imperforate poroids, present on inner valves and girdle bands. Cell division is usually synchronous for all cells in a filament with respect to polarity and time. Postdivisional elongation of the filament appears to involve a "slide-by" process whereby sibling cells slide by each other along their opposed valve faces and then stop, becoming fused by their overlapping tips. The raphe is probably involved in this, as well as in filament and cell motility. Observations of particle motion along the cell raphe suggest the existence of a motility apparatus such as microcilia which would facilitate locomotion, intercellular coordination, and the postdivisional slide-by process. No bacteria or other organisms were observed associated with field samples of toxic N. pungens f. multiseries. This supports a view that domoic acid production is autonomous.

scholarly journals Monitoring the presence of domoic acid in the production areas of bivalve molluscs

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachele Rossi ◽  
Olga Arace ◽  
Maria Giovanna Buonomo ◽  
Daniela Capozzo ◽  
Vincenzo Castellano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Experimental Method ◽  
Domoic Acid ◽  
Food Poisoning ◽  
Chemical Compounds ◽  
Official Method ◽  
Shellfish Poisoning ◽  
Bivalve Molluscs ◽  
Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning ◽  
Production Areas

Algal biotoxins, chemical compounds produced by some microscopic algae, constitute the <em>phytoplankton</em>. The mussels, feeding on phytoplankton, can accumulate these compounds to become themselves toxic. There have been several cases of food poisoning by consumption of contaminated shellfish. Such food poisoning have pushed our health care system to provide monitoring of shellfish in the framework of the monitoring plans carried out by AASSLL. In this paper we report the results obtained monitoring the presence of ASP (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) biotoxins, like domoic acid (DA) and its isomers, produced by <em>Pseudonitzschia</em> algae. The analysis were carried out by using both the HPLC-UV official method and an experimental method performed with a Time of Flight mass spectrometer (ESI-TOF). The 100% of samples analysed by the official method have always been below the limits of sensitivity (except one sample), the 65% of samples analysed by ESI-TOF, showed the presence of domoic acid.

Distribution of Nitzschia pungens in Coastal Waters of British Columbia

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 960-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Forbes ◽  
K. L. Denman
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Domoic Acid ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Minor Component ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Large Diatom ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Nitzschia Pungens

Concern about the potential for contamination of Pacific coast molluscan shellfish by domoic acid prompted us to review the distribution of Nitzschia pungens in coastal waters of British Columbia. From 1980 to 1988, N. pungens occurred throughout waters of the continental shelf, most frequently as a minor component of the large diatom aggregations observed off southwest Vancouver Island during July and August. The species was less common in the Strait of Georgia and north of Vancouver Island, but interannual variability in distribution and abundance was considerable. Maximum concentrations recorded were 106 cells∙L−1 in Hecate Strait in July 1983 and 5 × 105 cells∙L−1 off southwest Vancouver Island in August 1986. Discrimination of presence or absence on the basis of existing environmental variables produced mixed results, but has potential. Scanning electron microscopy showed that both N. pungens f. pungens and N. pungens f. multiseries (the latter being implicated in the contamination of shellfish in Atlantic Canada) occur in British Columbia. It remains to be shown whether N. pungens produces domoic acid in Pacific coast waters and whether the high abundances observed over the continental shelf also occur near shore.

Reduced neuroexcitatory effect of domoic acid following mossy fiber denervation of the rat dorsal hippocampus: further evidence that toxicity of domoic acid involves kainate receptor activation

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 904-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Debonnel ◽  
Michel Weiss ◽  
Claude de Montigny
Keyword(s):  
Kainic Acid ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Domoic Acid ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Excitatory Amino Acid ◽  
Dorsal Hippocampus ◽  
Receptor Activation ◽  
Kainate Receptors ◽  
Quisqualic Acid

Domoic acid, an excitatory amino acid structurally related to kainic acid, has been shown to be responsible for the severe intoxication presented, in 1987, by more than one hundred and fifty people having eaten mussels grown in Prince Edward Island (Canada). Unitary extracellular recordings were obtained from pyramidal neurons of the CA3 region of the rat dorsal hippocampus. The excitatory effects of microiontophoretic applications of domoic acid and of the agonists of the two other subtypes of glutamatergic receptors, quisqualate and N-methyl-D-aspartate, were compared on intact and colchicine-lesioned sides. Similar to what has been previously found for kainate, the colchicine lesion of the mossy fiber projections induced a 95% decrease of the neuronal responsiveness to domoic acid, whereas the effect of quisqualate was unchanged and that of N-methyl-D-aspartate was only slightly decreased. These results provide further electrophysiological evidence that domoic acid is a potent agonist of kainate receptors and that it may produce its neuroexcitatory and neurotoxic effects, in the hippocampal CA3 region, through activation of kainate receptors located on the mossy fiber terminals.Key words: domoic acid, kainic acid, glutamic acid, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid, quisqualic acid, dorsal hippocampus, neurotoxins.

Two new Atheta species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) from eastern Canada: taxonomy, bionomics, and distribution

2007 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Klimaszewski ◽  
Christopher G. Majka
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Black And White

AbstractTwo new athetine beetles from eastern Canada are described and illustrated: Atheta (Metadimetrota) savardae Klimaszewski and Majka, sp. nov. (Nova Scotia, Quebec) and Atheta (Datomicra) acadiensis Klimaszewski and Majka, sp. nov. (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec). Their relationships to other closely related species are discussed, and new data on bionomics and distribution are provided. The new species are presented with a short diagnosis, description, colour habitus images, and black-and-white genital images.

Microscopic examinations of toxic marine microalgae

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 830-831
Author(s):  
David O’Neil ◽  
Cynthia Leggiadro ◽  
Gwang Hoon Kim ◽  
Lawrence Fritz
Keyword(s):  
Light Microscopy ◽  
Okadaic Acid ◽  
Pure Culture ◽  
Domoic Acid ◽  
Marine Diatom ◽  
Distinctive Pattern ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Pennate Diatom ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Fish Poison

A number of microalgae have been implicated in toxicity episodes in cultured shellfish in Eastern Canada. Nitzschia pungens f. multiseries and Prorocentrum lima are two organisms that have been shown to produce the toxins associated with poisonous shellfish. The present study examines these organisms by light microscopy (DIC and fluorescence), and SEM.The pennate marine diatom, N. pungens(fig. 2), has been shown to produce a potent neurotoxin, domoic acid, in pure culture. The distinctive features of this pennate diatom are illustrated in Fig. 1. The silica covering (frustule) consists of parallel rows of costa with multiple rows of minute pores (poroids). P. lima (fig. 5) is a dinoflagellate that has been found to produce a toxin known as okadaic acid. This toxin has been associated with ciguatera, a fish poison, and was implicated in a recent toxic shellfish event in Eastern Canada. The cellulosic thecal plates are adorned with regular, distinctive pattern of pores (fig. 4).

Controls on Domoic Acid Production by the Diatom Nitzschia pungens f. multiseries in Culture: Nutrients and Irradïance

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 1136-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. Bates ◽  
A. S. W. de Freitas ◽  
J. E. Milley ◽  
R. Pocklington ◽  
M. A. Quilliam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Exponential Growth ◽  
Domoic Acid ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Dark Period ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Dark Cycle ◽  
Division Rate ◽  
Nitzschia Pungens

Nitzschia pungens f. multiseries (clone NPARL) was grown in nonaxenic batch culture under a range of growth conditions. Domoic acid (DA) was not detected during exponential growth, but production promptly started at a rate of approximately 1 pg DA∙cell−1∙d−1 at the onset of the stationary phase, in this case induced by silicate limitation. Cellular DA reached a maximum of 7 pg∙cell−1; thereafter, DA production continued at the same rate, with cellular levels remaining relatively constant due to concurrent release of DA into the culture medium. DA production ceased in the absence of nitrogen during the stationary phase, but resumed when nitrate was added back to the medium. Low irradiance slowed the division rate and consequently delayed the attainment of the stationary phase, but DA production rates were comparable with the control once stationary phase was reached. Cells during the dark period of a light–dark cycle, or placed into darkness, or in the presence of the photosynthetic inhibitor DCMU promptly ceased DA production. We conclude that at least three conditions are required for DA production by clone NPARL: cessation of cell division, availability of nitrogen during the stationary phase, and the presence of light. Growth in medium f/2 fulfils these requirements.

scholarly journals Unsolved Problems in Salmonella Food Poisoning

1929 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-285
Author(s):  
William G. Savage
Keyword(s):  
Food Poisoning ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Present Knowledge ◽  
Transient Condition ◽  
Salmonella Infection ◽  
Source Of Infection ◽  
Salmonella Infections ◽  
Food Animals ◽  
Rats And Mice ◽  
Striking Fact

Salmonella groups of organisms are recognized as predominant in food poisoning outbreaks, but knowledge of the primary source of Salmonella bacilli and of paths of infection to implicated food is incomplete.—Unsolved problems discussed.—Food animals suffering from Salmonella infection are common in Germany but comparatively rare in this country and in most outbreaks the original food is shown to have been sound.—Infection of food from a human carrier is extremely rare. Detailed study of individual outbreaks brings out the striking fact that the Salmonella strains which cause food poisoning are just those types capable of causing disease in both man and animals. The hypothesis which best explains bacterial causation of most outbreaks is that the source of infection is derived, in most cases, from animals suffering from Salmonella disease or acting as carriers of these bacilli. Many facts favour this view, including the widespread extent of Salmonella infections in animals associated with food. Examples: Cows suffering from Salmonella infections with these bacilli in the milk; the widespread prevalence of such infections in rats and mice; the considerable extent to which pigs are infected with Salmonella bacilli.—Attention is directed to the presence of specific agglutinins in the blood of food animals such as bullocks and pigs, also to the fact that while in man a carrier condition for food-poisoning bacilli is extremely rare and at best a transient condition in animals. It is a well attested phenomenon. The causes of this difference are worthy of further study. Not only are there numerous types within the Salmonella group but these types exhibit characteristic and definite differences of pathological behaviour. Bacillus paratyphosus B and Bacillus aertrycke furnish a good illustration and these two types are critically contrasted. While our present knowledge is imperfect, it is suggested that the types in this group fall into three groups, i.e., ( a) Strains pathogenic to man but not to animals; ( b) strains pathogenic to animals but harmless to man; ( c) strains pathogenic both to man and to animals. Only the last group cause food-poisoning outbreaks and represent the original and less specialized types. Varying virulence of Salmonella strains and problems thus raised in relation to food poisoning outbreak are discussed.

Domoic Acid and Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning - A Review

1993 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
EWEN C. D. TODD
Keyword(s):  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Domoic Acid ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Marine Macroalgae ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Shellfish Poisoning ◽  
Normal Filter ◽  
Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning ◽  
Human Illness ◽  
Razor Clams

A new type of seafood toxicity, called amnesic shellfish poisoning, was described from 107 human cases after individuals consumed mussels containing domoic acid harvested from Prince Edward Island, Canada, in 1987. Most of these cases experienced gastroenteritis, and many older persons or others with underlying chronic illnesses developed neurologic symptoms including memory loss. Standard treatment procedures for the neurologic condition were not effective and three patients died. Domoic acid is a known neurototoxin, and it is believed that in these cases enough toxin was absorbed through the gastrointestinal system to cause lesions in the central nervous system. The most severely affected cases still have significant memory loss 5 years after the incident. The source of the domoic acid was identified as the pennate diatom, Nitzschia pungens f. multiseries, which was ingested by the mussels during normal filter feeding. A possible biosynthetic pathway for the toxin has recently been determined. Certain marine macroalgae also contain this toxin but have no association with human illness. Domoic acid, produced by N. pseudodelicatissima, has been found in shellfish in other eastern Canadian locations. In addition, domoic acid was identified in anchovies and pelicans in Monterey Bay, California, the source of which was Pseudonitzschia australis. In November, 1991, domoic acid was found in razor clams and crabs harvested in Washington and Oregon States and may have caused human illness from ingestion of the clams. Control mechanisms have been put in place in Canada to prevent harvesting of the shellfish at ≥20 μg/g, and no further human illness has been reported since the 1987 episode.

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