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 ◽  
...  

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.

Author(s):  
Lynn M. Grattan ◽  
Laura Kaddis ◽  
J. Kate Tracy ◽  
John Glenn Morris

Domoic acid (DA) is a marine-based neurotoxin that, if ingested via tainted shellfish, is associated with Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP). These acute effects of elevated DA exposure in humans have been well described. In contrast, the long-term impacts of lower level, repetitive, presumably safe doses of DA (less than 20 ppm) are minimally known. Since Native Americans (NA) residing in coastal communities of the Pacific NW United States are particularly vulnerable to DA exposure, this study focuses on the long-term, 8-year memory outcome associated with their repeated dietary consumption of the neurotoxin. Measures of razor clam consumption, memory, clerical speed and accuracy, and depression were administered over eight years to 500 randomly selected adult NA men and women ages 18–64. Data were analyzed using GEE analyses taking into consideration the year of study, demographic factors, and instrumentation in examining the association between dietary exposure and outcomes. Findings indicated a significant but small decline in total recall memory within the context of otherwise stable clerical speed and accuracy and depression scores. There is reason to believe that a continuum of memory difficulties may be associated with DA exposure, rather than a unitary ASP syndrome.


Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 458
Author(s):  
Juan Blanco ◽  
Carmen Mariño ◽  
Helena Martín ◽  
Gonzalo Álvarez ◽  
Araceli E. Rossignoli

Cultures of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis are frequently affected by accumulation of the amnesic shellfish poisoning toxin domoic acid (DA). This species is characterized by a fast uptake and release of the toxin. In this work, the main characteristics of the uptake mechanism have been studied by incubation of digestive gland thin slices in media with different composition and DA concentration. DA uptake seems to follow Michaelis–Menten kinetics, with a very high estimated KM (1722 µg DA mL−1) and a Vmax of 71.9 µg DA g−1 h−1, which is similar to those found for other amino acids in invertebrates. Replacement of NaCl from the incubation media by Cl-choline (Na+-free medium) did not significantly reduce the uptake, but replacement by sorbitol (Na+-free and Cl−-depleted medium) did. A new experiment replacing all chlorides with their equivalent gluconates (Na+- and Cl−-free medium) showed an important reduction in the uptake that should be attributed to the absence of chloride, pointing to a Na+-independent, Cl− (or anion-) dependent transporter. In media with Na+ and Cl−, neither decreasing the pH nor adding cyanide (a metabolic inhibitor) had significant effect on DA uptake, suggesting that the transport mechanism is not H+- or ATP-dependent. In a chloride depleted medium, lowering pH or adding CN increased the uptake, suggesting that other anions could, at least partially, substitute chloride.


2014 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 492-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D Turner ◽  
Monika Dhanji-Rapkova ◽  
Clothilde Baker ◽  
Myriam Algoet

Abstract AOAC Official Method 2005.06 precolumn oxidation LC-fluorescence detection method has been used for many years for the detection and quantitation of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins in bivalve molluscs. After extensive single- and multiple-laboratory validation, the method has been slowly gaining acceptance worldwide as a useful and practical tool for official control testing. In Great Britain, the method has become routine since 2008, with no requirement since then for reverting back to the bioassay reference method. Although the method has been refined to be semiautomated, faster, and more reproducible, the quantitation step can be complex and time-consuming. An alternative approach was developed to utilize the qualitative screening results for generatinga semiquantitative results assessment. Data obtained over 5 years enabled the comparison of semiquantitative and fully quantitative PSP results in over 15 000 shellfish samples comprising eight different species showed that the semiquantitative approach resulted in over-estimated paralytic shellfish toxin levels by an average factor close to two in comparison with the fully quantified levels. No temporal trends were observed in the data or relating to species type, with the exception of surf clams. The comparison suggested a semiquantitative threshold of 800 μg saxitoxin (STX) eq/kg should provide a safe limitfor the determination of samples to be forwarded to full quantitation. However, the decision was taken to halve this limit to include an additional safety factor of 2, resulting in the use of a semiquantitative threshold of 400 μg STX eq/kg. Implementation of the semiquantitative method into routine testing would result in a significant reduction in the numbers of samples requiring quantitation and have a positive impact on the overall turnaround of reported PSP results. The refined method would be appropriate for any monitoring laboratory faced with high throughput requirements.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro G. Mudadu ◽  
Anna Maria Bazzoni ◽  
Riccardo Bazzardi ◽  
Giuseppa Lorenzoni ◽  
Barbara Soro ◽  
...  

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. Also, the interaction between toxic algae and OA accumulation was examined. In this study, data of lipophilic toxins, water temperature and abundance of DSP-producing microalgal species were collected in a four-year period (2015–2018) in coastal production areas of Sardinia. Several episodes of OA positive values (>160 eq μgAO/Kg pe, Reg 853/04) were recorded during the study period in different production areas of Sardinia and in different seasons. A seasonal repeatability of OA accumulation in molluscs was observed in some production areas; moreover, different temporal gaps between the presence of toxic algae and OA accumulation were reported. Toxicity was observed almost exclusively in Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamark (99%), being this matrix the most abundant species bred in Sardinia.


2011 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 555-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo De La Iglesia ◽  
Esther Barber ◽  
Gemma Giménez ◽  
María Luisa Rodríguez-Velasco ◽  
Adriano Villar-González ◽  
...  

Abstract The application of ultra-performance rapid resolution LC on a 1.8 m particle-size column coupled with tandem MS (RRLC-MS/MS) is described for the analysis of amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) toxins in shellfish. Complete resolution among domoic acid (DA) and the isomers was achieved in less than 3 min. The method was intralaboratory validated for direct analysis of crude extracts without further cleanup. It showed LODs ranging from 0.05 to 0.09 mg/kg and a working range that complied with the current regulatory level for DA of 20 mg/kg, and with the level of 4.5 mg/kg recently proposed by the European Food Safety Authority. Confirmatory capabilities were demonstrated according to the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC criteria. The results obtained by RRLC-MS/MS agreed with those provided by the reference LC-UV method, both intralaboratory for the analysis of blind samples (R2 0.9751) and interlaboratory through participation in the proficiency test for ASP toxins during 2009 (z-score 0.962 and 0.177 for low- and high-contaminated samples, respectively). RRLC-MS/MS provided fast analysis and additional confirmatory capabilities for direct analysis of crude extracts while the performance and reliability of the results were maintained, even in very complex matrixes.


2000 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 1384-1386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kentaro Kawatsu ◽  
Yonekazu Hamano ◽  
Tamao Noguchi

Abstract Ten samples of commercial blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) from Japan were analyzed for domoic acid by an indirect competitive enzyme immunoassay (idc–EIA) based on an anti-domoic acid monoclonal antibody. Domoic acid was found in all samples at low concentrations (0.11–1.81 ng/g mussel tissue). The presence of domoic acid was confirmed by liquid chromatography coupled with immunoaffinity chromatography using an anti-domoic acid monoclonal antibody as ligand. To our knowledge, this is the first reported detection of domoic acid, a causative agent of amnesic shellfish poisoning, in Japanese mussels.


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remigiusz Pomykała ◽  
Mirosław Michalski ◽  
Artur Jóźwik ◽  
Jacek Osek

Abstract The study was carried out on live bivalve molluscs available on Polish market. Microbiological tests were performed for the presence of Salmonella sp., Vibrio parahaemolyticus, spore-forming anaerobe bacteria, and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus sp., and for the enumeration of Escherichia coli. ELISA was used for the determination of marine biotoxins, paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), and diarrhoeic shellfish poisoning (DSP). Microbiological examinations were performed according to ISO and Polish Standards. Salmonella sp. was not detected in any sample tested. Coagulase-positive staphylococci were identified in 9.0% of the samples. V. parahaemolyticus was isolated from 17.0% of mussels. Shellfish were highly contaminated by anaerobes, which were isolated from 68.0% of the samples. The number of E. coli ranged from <2.0 x 101 up to >1.8 x 104 MPN/100 g. The majority of mussels were free from the marine biotoxins tested or contained them bellow the permitted level. The analysis of microbiological and toxicological status of raw bivalve molluscs available on Polish market indicates that they are generally safe for the consumers.


2001 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 1657-1667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Hess ◽  
Susan Gallacher ◽  
Lesley A Bates ◽  
Nigel Brown ◽  
Michael A Quilliam

Abstract During 1998 and early 1999, shellfish samples from sites in Scotland were found to contain the amnesic shellfish poisoning toxin, domoic acid (DA). Two different techniques, liquid chromatography (LC) with UV diode-array detection and LC with mass spectrometric (MS) detection, were used to detect and confirm DA in shellfish extracts. The LC/UV method was validated for routine monitoring by recovery experiments on spiked mussel and scallop tissues with a certified mussel tissue used as reference material. Crude extracts of selected samples as well as extracts cleaned with strong anion exchange (SAX) were analyzed by both LC/UV and LC/MS. Good correlation (linear regression r2 = 0.996, slope = 0.93) between the 2 methods was found for cleaned extracts. Analyses of crude extracts by LC/UV produced false-positive results in 2 crab samples, whereas LC/MS analyses gave accurate results. It was concluded that LC/UV is a valid approach for routine monitoring of DA in shellfish when cleanup is performed with a SAX cartridge to prevent false positives. A variety of shellfish species were surveyed for DA content, including Pecten maximus (king scallops), Chlamys opercularis (queen scallop), Mytilus edulis (blue mussels), Cancer pugaris (crab), and Ensis ensis (razor fish). The highest concentration of DA was 105 μg/g in Pecten maximus.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Barbaro ◽  
Roberta Zangrando ◽  
Carlo Barbante ◽  
Andrea Gambaro

Domoic acid (DA), a neurotoxic amino acid produced by diatoms, is the main cause of amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). In this work, we propose a very simple and fast analytical method to determine DA in mussel tissue. The method consists of two consecutive extractions and requires no purification steps, due to a reduction of the extraction of the interfering species and the application of very sensitive and selective HILIC-MS/MS method. The procedural method was validated through the estimation of trueness, extract yield, precision, detection, and quantification limits of analytical method. The sample preparation was also evaluated through qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the matrix effect. These evaluations were conducted both on the DA-free matrix spiked with known DA concentration and on the reference certified material (RCM). We developed a very selective LC-MS/MS method with a very low value of method detection limit (9 ng g−1) without cleanup steps.


2015 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-84
Author(s):  
Gemma Giménez Papiol

Abstract Regulations aimed to protect public health from amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) are focused on the detection and accurate quantification of domoic acid(DA). The reference detection determination used by the different shellfish safety monitoring agencies worldwide is HPLC separation followed by UV detection, in which different chromatographic column lengths or brands are accepted as long as it is C18 column. A laboratory validation of this method showed different performance of two accepted chromatographic columns when analyzing Bolinus brandaris samples. A natural compound, present only in those samples that contained DA, was evidencedby one of the columns. The DA quantification obtained with the column that coelutes both compounds was approximately twice the amount obtained with the column that separates them. This difference has important consequences in the ASP toxins management for thisfishery. The identity and toxicity of the compound are still unknown.


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