Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning Syndrome Is Caused by the Ingestion of Toxins Comprising Okadaic Acid and Its Analogues, Primarily DINOPHYSISTOXIN-1, DINOPHYSISTOXIN-2, Which Cause Severe Gastrointestinal Illness in Humans, With Potential Longer-term Tumor-promoting Activity. There Is Evidence, From Surveys of the Abundance of the Primary Producers of Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins, the Phytoplankton Dinophysis, and From Monitoring of Shellfish Toxicity, That Over the Past ~ 20 Years the Threat of Increasing Blooms of Toxigenic Dinophysis and Associated Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning Toxin Concentrations in Shellfish Tissue, May Be Increasing Around the North American Coast. This Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning Threat Now Exists on the West, East and Gulf Coasts, Where Blooms of Dinophysis Have Also Caused Substantial Economic Losses Due to the Closure of Shellfish Beds and Cessation of Harvesting. Routine, Accurate Quantification of Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins in Shellfish T