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. 2020 Nov 19;12(11):723.
doi: 10.3390/toxins12110723.

First Report of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in Marine Invertebrates and Fish in Spain

Begoña Ben-Gigirey  1 , Araceli E Rossignoli  1   2 , Pilar Riobó  3 , Francisco Rodríguez  1
Affiliations

First Report of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in Marine Invertebrates and Fish in Spain

Begoña Ben-Gigirey et al. Toxins (Basel). .

Abstract

A paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) episode developed in summer 2018 in the Rías Baixas (Galicia, NW Spain). The outbreak was associated with an unprecedentedly intense and long-lasting harmful algal bloom (HAB) (~one month) caused by the dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum. Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) were analyzed in extracts of 45 A. minutum strains isolated from the bloom by high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column oxidation and fluorescence detection (HPLC-PCOX-FLD). PSTs were also evaluated in tissues from marine fauna (invertebrates and fish) collected during the episode and in dolphin samples. The analysis of 45 A. minutum strains revealed a toxic profile including GTX1, GTX2, GTX3 and GTX4 toxins. With regard to the marine fauna samples, the highest PSTs levels were quantified in bivalve mollusks, but the toxins were also found in mullets, mackerels, starfish, squids and ascidians. This study reveals the potential accumulation of PSTs in marine invertebrates other than shellfish that could act as vectors in the trophic chain or pose a risk for human consumption. To our knowledge, this is the first time that PSTs are reported in ascidians and starfish from Spain. Moreover, it is the first time that evidence of PSTs in squids is described in Europe.

Keywords: Alexandrium minutum; HABs; PSP; PSTs; Ría de Vigo; invertebrates; non-traditional vectors; northwest Iberian Peninsula; paralytic shellfish toxins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Upper panel: area of study and location of Ría de Vigo. Lower panel: sampling stations for seawater samples from the bloom (triangles) in the Vigo marina and Samil Beach. This Figure was processed with ArcGIS program version 10.5.1.7333, copyright 1999–2017 Esri Inc. (website http://www.esri.com).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relative abundance of the different paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) in each of the 7 sampling sites (as shown in Table 1), calculated as mean values of the several A. minutum strains isolated from each site. The red line indicates mean total toxicity levels per cell for each strain group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Alexandrium minutum bloom at different docks in Vigo, together with a mullet (middle) and a triggerfish (right) found dead during the toxic episode (photos by Francisco Rodríguez).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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