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Evaluation of Water and Its Contaminants
Published in William J. Rea, Kalpana D. Patel, Reversibility of Chronic Disease and Hypersensitivity, Volume 5, 2017
William J. Rea, Kalpana D. Patel
Amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) is caused by consumption of shellfish that have accumulated domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by some strains of phytoplankton. The neurotoxic properties of domoic acid result in neuronal degeneration and necrosis in specific regions of the hippocampus. A serious outbreak of ASP occurred in Canada in 1987 and involved 150 reported cases, 19 hospitalizations, and 4 deaths after consumption of contaminated mussels. Symptoms ranged from gastrointestinal disturbances, to neurotoxic effects such as hallucinations, memory loss, and coma. Monitoring programs are in place in numerous countries worldwide and closures of shellfish harvesting areas occur when domoic acid concentrations exceed regulatory limits.
Seabirds and Biotoxins
Published in Jaime A. Ramos, Leonel Pereira, Seabird Biodiversity and Human Activities, 2022
María Victoria M. Casero, Jaime A. Ramos, Leonel Pereira
Since 1998 domoic acid has been associated with large marine mammal and seabird mortalities along the coast of California: (a) from 1998 to 2006 1,335 cases of confirmed or suspected of domoic acid poisoning of California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) were reported, and about 50% of them died (Bejarano et al. 2008, Goldstein et al. 2009), (b) in 1991, 43 Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) and 95 Brandt’s Cormorants (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) were reported dead on the west coast of the United States after ingesting anchovies with Pseudo-nitzschia frustules, and in 1996, 50% of the Brown pelican colony in Baja California (Mexico) was wiped out, with over 150 deaths attributed to domoic acid poisoning (Sierra-Beltran et al. 1997, Fire and van Dolah 2012). In addition, the effects on seabirds may depend on sex and/or age: Nisbet (1983) described a detailed poisoning event in 1978 by paralytic shellfish poisoning produced by the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense (formerly Gonyaulax excavata) on a Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) colony in Massachusetts, where mortality affected mostly females and 3-years old birds. Although the toxin was present for about 3 weeks, terns died only on two days; it seems that birds might have developed an aversion to infected fish because many were observed vomiting. Overall, intoxication of marine top predators such as seabirds usually occurs via the consumption of contaminated marine invertebrates and fish, but there are also reports of mass fish mortalities, indicating that mid-trophic level prey is also affected. Pelagic fish may excrete the toxins rapidly (Costa and Garrido 2004, Busse et al. 2006), which may contribute to explain why seabird poisoning events are usually constrained to a narrow time window, presumably the initial phase of the bloom period (Nisbet 1983) when the toxin accumulates rapidly in fish.
A review of algal toxin exposures on reserved federal lands and among trust species in the United States
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2022
Zachary R. Laughrey, Victoria G. Christensen, Robert J. Dusek, Sarena Senegal, Julia S. Lankton, Tracy A. Ziegler, Lee C. Jones, Daniel K. Jones, Brianna M. Williams, Stephanie Gordon, Gerald A. Clyde, Erich B. Emery, Keith A. Loftin
Domoic acid producing algae have been reported off the Pacific coast of California and Mexico frequently, as well as along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Domoic acid is a neurotoxin and acts a glutamate agonist (Saeed et al., 2017). There have been reports of animal exposure to domoic acid in these and other waterbodies and this toxin has been observed in 33 Trust species (23 species of marine mammals and 10 species of migratory birds; Supplementary Tables 8 and 9) in 11 states (Supplementary Table 10, Figure 2). Domoic acid intoxication in marine mammals and birds occurs primarily through consumption of prey fish, crustaceans, and mollusks (Bargu et al., 2008). Certain prey fish are especially efficient vectors as they seem to be tolerant to domoic acid (Lefebvre, Frame, Kendrick, et al., 2012). In addition, they are mobile and, therefore, can introduce the toxin into areas where there has been no bloom (Bargu et al., 2008; Lefebvre, Frame, Kendrick, et al., 2012). Animals with acute domoic acid intoxication may exhibit gastrointestinal and neurological clinical signs (Bargu et al., 2012; Truelove & Iverson, 1994; Work et al., 1993).
Factors driving the seasonal dynamics of Pseudo-nitzschia species and domoic acid at mussel farming in the SW Mediterranean Sea
Published in Chemistry and Ecology, 2020
Sondes Melliti Ben Garali, Inès Sahraoui, Pablo de la Iglesia, Mohamed Chalghaf, Jorge Diogène, Jamel Ksouri, Asma Sakka Hlaili
Domoic acid (DA) was firstly described in the red macroalga Chondria armata [1], and later recorded in 1987 in Prince Edward Island, Eastern Canada, where it was responsible for three deaths and the poisoning of over 100 people [2]. Since this time, the toxin was discovered in many parts of the world, and become a threat in several regions worldwide [3]. Research into the risks associated with DA toxicity has highlighted the importance of both the acute and chronic effects of DA on the health of many marine organisms including mammals, seabirds and humans [4,5]. The toxin can be transferred effectively to higher trophic levels via filter feeders such as molluscan shellfish, copepods crustaceans and fishes (reviewed by [6–8]). Once ingested, the toxin can provoke Domoic Acid Poisoning (DAP) in birds and marine Mammals [9] and Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) in humans, which represents a serious threat for their health [8,10].