ABSTRACT

Introduction ............................................................................................ 94 Aquatic Biotoxins in Seafood and Fresh Water..................................... 94

Marine Toxins ..................................................................................... 95 Shellfish .......................................................................................... 95

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning..................................................... 95 Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning .................................................... 97 Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning ..................................................... 99 Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning ............................................... 100

Fish................................................................................................ 101 Ciguatera Fish Poisoning ........................................................ 101 Pufferfish Poisoning................................................................. 103

Pfiesteria piscicida

Poisoning .................................................... 104 Freshwater Toxins ............................................................................ 105

Cyanobacterial Toxins.................................................................. 105 Mycotoxins............................................................................................ 106

Aflatoxins.......................................................................................... 107 Ochratoxin A .................................................................................... 108 Patulin ............................................................................................... 109 Deoxinivalenol.................................................................................. 109 Citrinin.............................................................................................. 110 Fumonisins ....................................................................................... 110 T-2 Toxin ............................................................................................111 Zearalenone ...................................................................................... 112

Bacterial Toxins..................................................................................... 112 Toxicoinfections ................................................................................ 113 Intoxications ..................................................................................... 115

References ............................................................................................. 117

The focus of this chapter is on aquatic (marine and freshwater) toxins, fungal toxins, and bacterial toxins. In order of economic significance, bacterial toxins are the most important, followed by mycotoxins and aquatic biotoxins. Bacterial toxins have the highest significance with respect to public health as well. Although mycotoxins have been responsible for individual acute poisoning outbreaks, primary concerns regarding mycotoxin contamination in foods and feeds are related to both human illnesses due to long-term, lowlevel exposure and animal health. On the other hand, although there is a paucity of information on aquatic biotoxins, contamination of seafoods with these toxins has the highest potential human health risks because of the widespread distribution of susceptible seafoods and the etiology of toxin production and subsequent accumulation.