Abstract
The dinoflagellates of the genus Gambierdiscus are found in almost all oceans and seas between the coordinates 35° N and 35° S. Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa are producers of ciguatoxins (CTXs), which are known to cause foodborne disease associated with contaminated seafood. The occurrence and effects of CTXs are well described in the Pacific and the Caribbean. However, historically, their properties and presence have been poorly documented in the Indian Ocean (including the Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea, and the Gulf). A higher occurrence of these microorganisms will proportionately increase the likelihood of CTXs entering the food chain, posing a severe threat to human seafood consumers. Therefore, comprehensive research strategies are critically important for developing effective monitoring and risk assessments of this emerging threat in the Indian Ocean. This review presents the available literature on ciguatera occurrence in the region and its adjacent marginal waters: aiming to identify the data gaps and vectors.
Highlights
Ciguatera poisoning (CP) is a syndrome caused by ingestion of coral reef fish and shellfish of tropical and subtropical regions, which has caused global concern
Benthic microalgae are influenced by these disturbances especially the coral mortality, which provides a good substrate for the formation of algal turfs and associated epiphytes [49]
The high biomass algae (HABs) were estimated through the Ocean Color Modis Algorithm (OC3M), Garver-Siegel-Maritorena Algorithm (GSM), Generalized Inherent Optical Property (GIOP) model [41,45]; these areas when sampled showed the presence of G. toxicus in a concentration of ~1000 cells per liter of seawater [41]
Summary
Ciguatera poisoning (CP) is a syndrome caused by ingestion of coral reef fish and shellfish of tropical and subtropical regions, which has caused global concern. Some dinoflagellate species of the genera Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa are known to produce ciguatoxins (CTXs); the organisms that consume these toxic algae accumulate CTXs that are transferred and biotransformed along the marine and human food chain. Variation was reported among replicates [22,23,24] Despite these limitations, some first-order estimates on Gambierdiscus distributions for large geographic regions have been attempted using the average abundances [11,25]. Poisoning associated with seafood consumption was reported in different parts of the globe It was first recounted in the West Indies as early as 1511 [27] and in the Gulf of Guinea in 1521, killing the Captains of the Spanish army [28]. We gathered the published information on reported occurrences of Gambierdiscus and identified the research gaps related to its monitoring as a tool to manage this emerging hazard
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