Essay On Shellfish Poisoning

According to AOAC (1980), paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is a marine toxin disease with both gastrointestinal and neurologic symptoms reported worldwide. It is a serious illness caused by ingesting shellfish polluted with dinoflagellate algae that create harmful toxins. Some of these toxins are 1,000 times more powerful than cyanide, and toxin levels contained in a single shellfish can be deadly to humans. Moreover, there is no antidote, patient need to go for supportive therapy and survivors usually recover fully on their own. The distribution of these toxicants in the environment is caused by herbivorous zooplankton. It is the primary transvector which can, in turn, transmit the toxin to fish and possibly other marine creatures which consume zooplankton (Baden, 1983). The usual route for humans is the consumption of raw or cooked contaminated shellfish. PSP toxins are also found in certain crabs and snails which feed on coral reef

A number of people were poisoned during this event. The blooms eventually extend to other parts of Sabah. Over the years many poisoning cases have been reported including fatality. For many year shellfish poisoning in Malaysia was considered problems unique to the west coast of Sabah. In 1991, three people were taken ill after eating the green mussel, Perna viridis. Symptoms suggested that intoxication was due to algal toxins. Later testing of extracts from mussels collected during the event confirmed the presence of algal toxins. In 1997, the most likely toxins producer was secluded from the area and the clonal cultures were established in the laboratory. The species was successfully acknowledged as Alexandrium tamiyavanchii. Toxin analysis of these cultures confirmed the dinoflagellate formed toxins similar to those in toxic mussels (Usup et al.