Seafood Toxins Flashcards
Compare seafood allergies with seafood poisoning.
- Allergies: including fish, shrimp, lobster, crab, mussels, and clams - represent frequent causes
- Poisoning: reactions to natural toxins are not infrequent; also described in the medical literature and general press
Describe the origin of marine toxins.
- Animals produce toxins as an offense, or a defense system (e.g., capturing and digesting prey or protection against predators)
- Toxins may be a by-product, or product of animal metabolism, or a chemical that is passed along the food chain (bio-magnification), eventually coming to humans
Problematic and hard to predit; necessitates consistent monitoring.
bioaccumulation a.k.a. biomagnification
What is scomboid poisoning?
Histamine release
Describe the scheme to determine risk to marine toxin exposure.
Name the toxin.
PSP-Paralytic shellfish poisoning
The toxicity
Saxitoxin
Worldwide occurence - most common example of a seafood toxin.
The toxin - many metabolites and isomers of saxitoxin that also exist, but have different toxicity levels.
Name the toxin.
DSP-Diarrheic shellfish poisoning
The toxicity
Okadaic acid dinophysis toxin
Worldwide occurrance
The toxin
Name the toxin.
NSP- Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
The toxicity
Brevetoxins
Occurrance: USA, Caribbean, New Zealand
The toxins
Name the toxin.
ASP- Amnesic shellfish poisoning
The toxicity
Domoic acid
Occurrance: North America
The toxin
Name the toxin.
Ciguatera fish poisoning
The toxicity
Ciguatoxin (CTX)
Tropical & subtropical occurrance
The toxin
Name the toxin.
Puffer fish poisoning
The toxicity
Tetrodotoxin (TTX)
Occurrance: Japan, South Pacific
The toxin
Name the toxicity.
Saxitoxin
Worldwide occurence
The toxin
PSP-Paralytic shellfish poisoning
The toxicity
Name the toxicity.
Okadaic acid dinophysis toxin
Worldwide occurrance
The toxin
DSP-Diarrheic shellfish poisoning
The toxicity
Name the toxicity.
Brevetoxins
Occurrance: USA, Caribbean, New Zealand
The toxins
NSP- Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
The toxicity
Name the toxicity.
Domoic acid
Occurrance: North America
The toxin
ASP- Amnesic shellfish poisoning
The toxicity
Name the toxicity.
Ciguatoxin (CTX)
Tropical & subtropical occurrance
The toxin
Ciguatera fish poisoning
e.g., barracuda
The toxicity
Name the toxicity.
Tetrodotoxin (TTX)
Occurrance: Japan, South Pacific
The toxin
Puffer fish (tetrodotoxin) poisoning
The toxicity
Paralytic shellfish toxin
Saxitoxin
Amnesic shellfish toxin
Domoic acid
Puffer fish toxin
Tetrodotoxin
Ciguatera toxin
Ciguatoxin
Saxitoxin
Paralytic shellfish toxin
Domoic acid
Amnesic shellfish toxin
Tetrodotoxin
Puffer fish toxin
Ciguatoxin
Ciguatera toxin
For paralytic shellfish poisoning, name:
- Region
- Seafood source
- Symptoms
- Toxin
- Region: Worldwide
- Seafood source: Bivalves
- Symptoms: Tingling/numbness; respiratory paralysis
- Toxin: Saxitoxin
For neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, name:
- Region
- Seafood source
- Symptoms
- Toxin
- Region: Gulf of Mexico; Florida; Atlantic; Greece; Japan; New Zealand
- Seafood source: Bivalves; Oysters; Clams; Mussels
- Symptoms: Paraesthesia; reversal of hot and cold sensation; uncoordinated movements
- Toxin: Brevetoxins
For amnesic shellfish poisoning, name:
- Region
- Seafood source
- Symptoms
- Toxin
- Region: East Coast Canada; West Coast USA
- Seafood source: Razer clams; crabs
- Symptoms: Abdominal cramps; vomiting; disorientation; seizures; memory loss
- Toxin: Domoic acid
Paralytic shellfish toxins (e.g., saxitoxin, neosaxitoxin, gonyautoxin) are produced by: [3]
- Dinoflagellate algae
- Aquatic cyanobacteria
- Eubacteria
Paralytic shellfish toxins can accumulate in marine organisms such as clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, and others that feed on the algae
What is the toxicity and regulatory tolerance of paralytic shellfish toxins?
What is red tide?
- Toxin-producing algal cells have a red pigmentation and the bloom event is known as ‘red tide’
Paralytic shellfish poisoning and saxitoxins.
Describe the distribution of toxin gonyaulacoid species.
Describe the structure of the principle toxin in paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Saxitoxin: hydroxy & sulfate derivatives on a tetrahydroxypuridine structure
Minimal fluorescence and too small to measure on its own.
Describe the rate of accumulation and loss in shellfish contaminated with saxitoxin.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning
- Depends on marine species
- Mussels - lose toxicity within weeks
- Clams - lose toxicity in 2 years
Which paralytic shellfish toxin is the most toxic?
- Non-protein neurotoxins
- Saxitoxin is the most toxic - 0.5-1.0 mg is fatal
Paralytic shellfish toxins are heat stable, so cooking or steaming of shellfish will not destroy toxin.
True or False?
True.
Paralytic shellfish toxins are heat labile, so cooking or steaming of shellfish will destroy the toxin.
True or False?
False.
These toxins are heat stable!
In paralytic shellfish poisoning, diagnosis is based on:
Patient history and symptoms
In paralytic shellfish poisoning, what is linked to improved survival rates?
- Early airway management
- Adherence to public health guidelines on harvesting, processing, and consumption of shellfish
Activated charcoal has been used to filter water (charcoal is ionic so the toxin will bind it and be unavailable), but it did not work very well in practice to reduce risk of shellfish poisoning.
What are the clinical symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning? [7]
- Symptoms develop within 30 minutes to 2 hours after ingestion
- Mortality range is 3 - 24%
- Paresthesia of the mouth, lips, face, and overall
- Numbness
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Muscular paralysis
- Respiratory failure that can lead to death