ABSTRACT
Toxic phytoplankton and toxin-producing bacteria are frequently implicated in seafoodborne poisonings and are of great concern to health-protection agencies around the world. Consequently, marine toxin research is a rapidly evolving field. Most marine intoxications are caused by a mixture of several structurally distinct components, often of varying toxicities. The saxitoxins are a family of potent neurotoxins responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). A variety of separation methods have been proposed for determining the levels of PSP toxins. The toxins from diethyl ether extracts of dinoflagellate cultures were first isolated and purified using silicic acid, gel permeation chromatography, and reversed-phase partition chromatography. Scaritoxin gives symptoms in mice similar to those of Ciguatoxin and may be present in a wide variety of fish. If a reversible toxin-binding device could be refined and worked into a rugged geometry, it could be used to develop an automated instrument for screening and confirmation.
