MARINE TOXINS AND VENOMOUS AND POISONOUS MARJNE m
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A. Paralytic shell$& poisoning
Paralytic shelEsh poisoning is caused by certain molluscs and one
or two echinoderms and arthropods which have ingested toxic dinoflagellates and which are subsequently eaten by man. The relationship
between blooms of plankton and shellfish poisoning was perhaps first
noted by Lamouroux (cited by Chevallier and Duchesne, 1851), who
observed that during certain seasons the sea appeared as a yellowish
“ foam ”, and that this foam was probably responsible for the poisonous
properties of the shellfish. However, most early workers attributed the
poisoning to other causes : copper salts, putrefactive processes, diseases
of the shellfish, a ‘‘ virus ”, other marine organisms, contaminated
water, industrial wastes or bacterial pathogens.
I n 1888, Lindner also suggested a food-chain relationship for
shellfish poisoning, and subsequently this hypothesis received more
favorable consideration. In 1937, Sommer and his colleagues published
the results of their intensive investigation of the problem on paralytic
shellfish poisoning. They demonstrated a direct relationship between
the number of Gonyaulux mtenellu Whedon et Kofoid in the sea water
and the degree of toxicity in the mussel, Mytilus mlifornianus Conrad.
These workers also established methods for extracting and assaying the
poison, and suggested an experimental and clinical approach to the
problem that has served as a guide for subsequent workers in the field.
Table I lists the marine protista of the order Dinoflagellata and
one member of the Chrysophyta (Prymnesium) which are known to
be toxic.
One member of the order Rhaphidophyceae, Hornellia marina
Subrahmanyan, has been implicated in the deaths of fishes and
crustaceans (Subrahmanyan, 1954).
The molluscs and other marine animals that have been implicated
in paralytic shellfish poisoning due to dinoflagellate toxin, and the
clinical syndrome of the poisoning, are noted in Section VI.
B. Chemistry
Following the report of a mass poisoning from the eating of mussels,
Salkowski (1885) made what was probably the first important study on
the chemistry of shellfish poison. He prepared four alcoholic extracts
from mussel tissues, concentrated them by evaporation and then
reconstituted with water. When the reconstituted product was forced
into alcohol a viscous precipitate formed. The filtrate from this precipitation contained the poison. I n 1888, Brieger isolated a substance he
called “ mytilotoxin ”, which produced effects similar to those provoked
s
263
A. Paralytic shell$& poisoning
Paralytic shelEsh poisoning is caused by certain molluscs and one
or two echinoderms and arthropods which have ingested toxic dinoflagellates and which are subsequently eaten by man. The relationship
between blooms of plankton and shellfish poisoning was perhaps first
noted by Lamouroux (cited by Chevallier and Duchesne, 1851), who
observed that during certain seasons the sea appeared as a yellowish
“ foam ”, and that this foam was probably responsible for the poisonous
properties of the shellfish. However, most early workers attributed the
poisoning to other causes : copper salts, putrefactive processes, diseases
of the shellfish, a ‘‘ virus ”, other marine organisms, contaminated
water, industrial wastes or bacterial pathogens.
I n 1888, Lindner also suggested a food-chain relationship for
shellfish poisoning, and subsequently this hypothesis received more
favorable consideration. In 1937, Sommer and his colleagues published
the results of their intensive investigation of the problem on paralytic
shellfish poisoning. They demonstrated a direct relationship between
the number of Gonyaulux mtenellu Whedon et Kofoid in the sea water
and the degree of toxicity in the mussel, Mytilus mlifornianus Conrad.
These workers also established methods for extracting and assaying the
poison, and suggested an experimental and clinical approach to the
problem that has served as a guide for subsequent workers in the field.
Table I lists the marine protista of the order Dinoflagellata and
one member of the Chrysophyta (Prymnesium) which are known to
be toxic.
One member of the order Rhaphidophyceae, Hornellia marina
Subrahmanyan, has been implicated in the deaths of fishes and
crustaceans (Subrahmanyan, 1954).
The molluscs and other marine animals that have been implicated
in paralytic shellfish poisoning due to dinoflagellate toxin, and the
clinical syndrome of the poisoning, are noted in Section VI.
B. Chemistry
Following the report of a mass poisoning from the eating of mussels,
Salkowski (1885) made what was probably the first important study on
the chemistry of shellfish poison. He prepared four alcoholic extracts
from mussel tissues, concentrated them by evaporation and then
reconstituted with water. When the reconstituted product was forced
into alcohol a viscous precipitate formed. The filtrate from this precipitation contained the poison. I n 1888, Brieger isolated a substance he
called “ mytilotoxin ”, which produced effects similar to those provoked