A two-year(2020–2021)observation of marine phycotoxins in phytoplankton in typical mariculture areas of East China Sea

To learn the marine phycotoxins(MPTs)contamination status in mariculture areas in the East China Sea(ECS),from May 2020 to October 2021,80 net-concentrated phytoplankton samples were collected from 12 stations in three typical areas with high incidence of red tides,namely,Gouqi Island,Sandu’ao-Lianjiang,and Zhangzhou-Dongshan Island in ECS,and MPTs of the samples were detected.Six types of toxins were detected in 24 samples from 9 stations.Lipophilic marine toxins(LMTs)were more common and diverse in these areas.Pectenotoxin 2(PTX2)was the main lipophilic marine toxin(LMT)in the concentrated phytoplankton samples and the occurrence showed seasonal differences from north to south.According to the potential risks of pectenotoxin(PTXs)to seafood safety,it is suggested to execute regular monitoring on PTXs in ECS and a mandatory standard should be formulated based on the comprehensive analysis of in-situ monitoring and lab research.Meanwhile,contamination risks of cyclic imine toxins in the north and domoic acid(DA)in the south of ECS should also be paid with attention to.Only 2 paralytic shellfish toxins(PSTs),N-sulfocarbamoyl toxin C2(C2),and decarbamoyl gonyatoxin 3(dcGTX3),were found from spring samples in the north of ECS.As the biggest mussel culture county of China,Gouqi Island showed higher toxin diversity and the toxin detection rate was higher than the other two areas.In Gouqi Island area,PSTs were a serious potential threat in spring,and LMTs instead of PSTs became the main risk in summer-autumn seasons.To ensure the safety of seafood and marine environmental health,it is recommended to conduct long-term targeted tracking and monitoring of MPTs in this and similar mariculture areas.

Screening of Human Phycotoxin Poisoning Symptoms in Coastal Communities of Nigeria: Socio-Economic Consideration of Harmful Algal Blooms

A screening of human phycotoxin poisoning symptoms was done in the coastal communities of Nigeria, every quarter for one year, using structured questionnaires. A multi-stage sampling technique consisting of cluster, snowballing, convenience purposive and random sampling was applied in the study. Based on the responses, a total of 17 Harmful algal toxin-related poisoning symptoms were recorded from respondents, who experienced these symptoms from seafood consumption. The symptoms were Balance difficulty, Breathing difficulty, Burning sensation, Chills, Confusion, Diarrhea, Dizziness, Body itching, Headache, Memory loss, Mouth tingling, Muscle pain, Nausea, Rashes, Abdominal pain, Tiredness and Vomiting. These could be grouped into five categories of diseases namely, Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, Neurological, Dermatological, and Musculo-Skeletal symptoms. The most commonly experienced symptoms were vomiting (24%), mouth tingling (21%), Nausea (14%), diarrhea (11%), headache (10%), tiredness (9%) and body itching (8%) and the least were muscle pain, rashes, confusion, chills, dizziness, balance difficulty burning sensation, breathing difficulty and abdominal pain. Statistical analyses revealed a nexus and significant relationship between visible symptoms and: seafood;season;water colour;habitats/environment of dead seafood and age of respondents. Symptoms enlisted are reminiscent of harmful algal blooms, with grave consequences for public health, commercial fisheries, recreation, tourism, monitoring/management. Therefore, preventive measures, requiring routine monitoring of water bodies, coupled with greater public awareness is suggested for early detection of occurrence of toxin-producing symptoms.

Global Challenges and Solutions in the Early Warning,Monitoring and Toxicity Assessment of Biotoxins in the Food and Feed Chain

There is a massive and urgent need to ensure safety and security of the food supply of the world´s growing population.However,global agriculture and food industries continue to be vulnerable to problems of contamination with biotoxins produced by plants,algae and particularly by fungi;with global warming and extreme weather events making the occurrence of these toxic metabolites even more unpredictable.In this paper we summarize the multidisciplinary,multi-sectoral complementary competencies needed to innovate in various scientific fields and approaches,so strongly needed to develop improved early warning,monitoring and toxicity assessment of biotoxins in the food and feed chain.These include big data approaches using satellite and drone images,portable monitoring devices and(combined)toxicity testing of(emerging)biotoxins using proteomics and transcriptomics.