Dinophysis Species and Diarrhetic Shellfish Toxins: 20 Years of Monitoring Program in Andalusia, South of Spain.

Raúl Fernández,Lourdes Fernández Fuentes,David Jaén,Luz Mamán,M Mercedes Gordillo,M Asunción Ocaña

doi:10.3390/toxins11040189

Abstract

In Andalusia, the official monitoring program for toxic phytoplankton and marine biotoxins was launched in 1994 to comply with European legislation. Since then, there have been numerous episodes of DST (Diarrhetic shellfish toxins) associated with the proliferation of Dinophysis species. This article reviews two decades of time series data and assesses the effectiveness of the program established. The testing of lipophilic toxins and toxic phytoplankton is based on official methods harmonized and accredited since 2007 according to the standard UNE-EN-ISO 17025. The major species of Dinophysis identified were D. acuminata complex, D. caudata, D. acuta and D. fortii, with the main growth season being from early spring until the end of autumn. Both D. acuminata complex and D. acuta have been clearly associated with toxicity in molluscs. Despite the complexity of data obtained through monitoring programs, it is possible to provide early warning of potential health risks for most situations. This is the first report of Dinophysis species and their relation to DST events in a time series from Andalusia.

Highlights

The implementation of monitoring programs for marine biotoxins in the wake of the findings of Yasumoto [1,2], at a scale dependent on the geographical scope of each competent administration, started in Andalusia in 1994
Data from monitoring programs are usually complex in their processing
The polymorphic life cycle, feeding behaviour and phase of the cell cycle have been given by various authors as the causes of the wide morphological variation of certain species of Dinophysis [16,17]

Summary

Introduction

The implementation of monitoring programs for marine biotoxins in the wake of the findings of Yasumoto [1,2], at a scale dependent on the geographical scope of each competent administration, started in Andalusia in 1994. These findings demonstrated a relationship between outbreaks of diarrheal intoxication in humans, the ingestion of molluscs and the presence in the environment of Dinophysis fortii that was identified as the producer of toxins responsible for poisoning. This study presents the data obtained from the start of monitoring and their analysis to Toxins 2019, 11, 189; doi:10.3390/toxins11040189 www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins

Methods

Results

Conclusion