Does Pseudo-nitzschia cause disease?

An Early Warning System for Pseudo-nitzschia Harmful Algal Blooms on Pacific Northwest Outer-Coast Beaches. Blooms of some species of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia produce a neurotoxin that accumulates in shellfish, which can cause illness and even death in humans who eat them.

Is Pseudo-nitzschia a phytoplankton?

Pseudo-nitzschia is a marine planktonic diatom genus that accounts for 4.4% of pennate diatoms found worldwide….

Pseudo-nitzschia
Class: Bacillariophyceae
Order: Bacillariales
Family: Bacillariaceae
Genus: Pseudo-nitzschia H. Perag. in H. Perag. and Perag.

What toxin does Pseudo-nitzschia Fraudulenta produce?

neurotoxin domoic acid
The neurotoxin domoic acid is produced by the globally-distributed diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia. This toxin is responsible for amnesic shellfish poisoning, which can result in illness or death in humans and regularly causes mass mortalities of marine mammals and birds.

What causes Pseudo-nitzschia?

This syndrome is caused by the potent neurotoxin domoic acid, which is produced by diatoms in the genus Pseudo-nitzschia.

What toxins does Alexandrium produce?

Impacts & Toxicity. About half of known Alexandrium species produce a suite of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), of which saxitoxin is the most potent. Saxitoxins (STXs) are neurotoxins that bind voltage-gated sodium channels in cell membranes, inhibiting membrane depolarization and action potentials.

What is amnesic shellfish poisoning?

Domoic acid is a marine biotoxin toxin called Amnesic Shellfish Poison (ASP) which is produced by the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia sp., a type of naturally occurring microscopic algae. Shellfish eat these algae and can retain the toxin. People can become ill from eating shellfish contaminated with Amnesic Shellfish Poison.

What toxin does Alexandrium produce?

saxitoxin
The dinoflagellate alga Alexandrium fundyense produces a suite of potent neurotoxins (saxitoxin and its derivatives) resulting in Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP). PSP is known to impair physiological functions in bivalve molluscs and copepods.

Do diatoms release toxins?

A few diatom species produce toxins that affect human and animal health. Among these, members of the Pseudo-nitzschia genus were the first diatoms unambiguously identified as producer of domoic acid, a neurotoxin affecting molluscan shell-fish, birds, marine mammals, and humans.

Why is Alexandrium spp harmful?

By producing potent neurotoxins, known as saxitoxins (STXs), A. fundyense is responsible for outbreaks of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), which is potentially fatal to humans (Llewellyn, 2006).

What causes alexandrium Catenella?

Alexandrium catenella is a species of dinoflagellates. It is among the group of Alexandrium species that produce toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, and is a cause of red tide….

Alexandrium catenella
Scientific classification
Family: Ostreopsidaceae
Genus: Alexandrium
Species: A. catenella

Is amnesic shellfish edible?

Shellfish eat these algae and can retain the toxin. People can become ill from eating shellfish contaminated with Amnesic Shellfish Poison. Severe cases of Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning can result in permanent short-term memory loss.

What poison can make you lose your memory?

Amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) is an illness caused by consumption of shellfish that contain the marine biotoxin called domoic acid. In mammals, including humans, domoic acid acts as a neurotoxin, causing permanent short-term memory loss, brain damage, and death in severe cases.