42
D. Medina et al.
laboratories. Production areas are closed and bans for harvesting are established
when biotoxin levels in molluscs are unsafe for human consumption. One of
the major problems related to mollusc harvesting in Argentina is the extent
of its coastline (over 5,000 km); distances to the control centers and means of
transportation are important restrictions for the prompt shipment of samples for
analysis. Moreover there are few authorized laboratories in relation to the number
of samples to be analyzed. These two issues have become greater difficulties
considering the rapid increase in the number of classified zones for shellfish
harvesting.
At present, the laboratories in Argentina are working intensively to become
accredited for different analytical techniques for monitoring marine toxins. The
central laboratory of SENASA has been accredited for the analysis of ASP
toxin by HPLC method. Official bioassay methods are used for the detection
of PSP and the Lipophylic toxin group. With respect to toxin bioassays, it is
important to mention that there are not enough intercalibration exercises offered
by international laboratories. The importation of saxitoxin standard (for use in
laboratory calibration) was also a problem in Argentina for several years because
it is considered a chemical hazard. No less important is animal welfare in the
laboratory: in Argentina there are specific regulations and training courses offered
by EU experts on this issue.
A National Monitoring Program on Mollusc diseases has not yet been
implemented. There is little knowledge of these diseases that could affect
aquaculture production and development. In the 1990s there was an initiative
in Rio Negro Province for aquaculture and export of native oysters (Ostrea
puelchana) to the EU. In 1996 the Laboratory of Mollusc Parasitology and
Histopathology (LABPATIBMP, SENASA LA 0116) was established. The
laboratory is part of the Marine and Fishery Biological Institute “Alte. Storni”,
is located at San Antonio Oeste, in the Rio Negro province, is a member
of the SENASA network and is authorized to issue sanitary certifications for
molluscs. On the other hand, since the end of the 1990s, the Parasitological
Laboratory of the Patagonian National Centre of Chubut has been working on
a significant research program on bivalve mollusc pathogens in the Argentinean
Sea. This comprises (a) the massive mortality of the clam Mesodesma mactroides
(distributed along the south occidental Atlantic coast from the south of Brazil
to the south of Buenos Aires), (b) presence of Perkinsus olseni (Protozoa:
Apicomplexa) and other parasites of the Uruguayan clam Pitar rostrata, (a pathogen
which requires mandatory reporting to the OIE), and (c) histopathological
study of commercially harvested Argentinean bivalve molluscs – scallop
(Aequipecten tehuelchus), mussel (Mytilus chilensis), clam (Protothaca antiqua),
clam panopea (Panopea abbreviata), clam (Ensis macha), Argentinean flat
oyster (Ostrea puelchana) and false oyster (Pododesmus rudis). None of the
parasites found are potentially hazardous human pathogens. There are not enough
specialized professionals or a sufficient number of qualified diagnostic services
on mollusc pathologies, to permit the establishment of relevant research lines on
this topic.
D. Medina et al.
laboratories. Production areas are closed and bans for harvesting are established
when biotoxin levels in molluscs are unsafe for human consumption. One of
the major problems related to mollusc harvesting in Argentina is the extent
of its coastline (over 5,000 km); distances to the control centers and means of
transportation are important restrictions for the prompt shipment of samples for
analysis. Moreover there are few authorized laboratories in relation to the number
of samples to be analyzed. These two issues have become greater difficulties
considering the rapid increase in the number of classified zones for shellfish
harvesting.
At present, the laboratories in Argentina are working intensively to become
accredited for different analytical techniques for monitoring marine toxins. The
central laboratory of SENASA has been accredited for the analysis of ASP
toxin by HPLC method. Official bioassay methods are used for the detection
of PSP and the Lipophylic toxin group. With respect to toxin bioassays, it is
important to mention that there are not enough intercalibration exercises offered
by international laboratories. The importation of saxitoxin standard (for use in
laboratory calibration) was also a problem in Argentina for several years because
it is considered a chemical hazard. No less important is animal welfare in the
laboratory: in Argentina there are specific regulations and training courses offered
by EU experts on this issue.
A National Monitoring Program on Mollusc diseases has not yet been
implemented. There is little knowledge of these diseases that could affect
aquaculture production and development. In the 1990s there was an initiative
in Rio Negro Province for aquaculture and export of native oysters (Ostrea
puelchana) to the EU. In 1996 the Laboratory of Mollusc Parasitology and
Histopathology (LABPATIBMP, SENASA LA 0116) was established. The
laboratory is part of the Marine and Fishery Biological Institute “Alte. Storni”,
is located at San Antonio Oeste, in the Rio Negro province, is a member
of the SENASA network and is authorized to issue sanitary certifications for
molluscs. On the other hand, since the end of the 1990s, the Parasitological
Laboratory of the Patagonian National Centre of Chubut has been working on
a significant research program on bivalve mollusc pathogens in the Argentinean
Sea. This comprises (a) the massive mortality of the clam Mesodesma mactroides
(distributed along the south occidental Atlantic coast from the south of Brazil
to the south of Buenos Aires), (b) presence of Perkinsus olseni (Protozoa:
Apicomplexa) and other parasites of the Uruguayan clam Pitar rostrata, (a pathogen
which requires mandatory reporting to the OIE), and (c) histopathological
study of commercially harvested Argentinean bivalve molluscs – scallop
(Aequipecten tehuelchus), mussel (Mytilus chilensis), clam (Protothaca antiqua),
clam panopea (Panopea abbreviata), clam (Ensis macha), Argentinean flat
oyster (Ostrea puelchana) and false oyster (Pododesmus rudis). None of the
parasites found are potentially hazardous human pathogens. There are not enough
specialized professionals or a sufficient number of qualified diagnostic services
on mollusc pathologies, to permit the establishment of relevant research lines on
this topic.