ABSTRACT
This chapter provides state-of-the-art overviews on foodborne diseases caused by Brevetoxin in relation to their etiology, biology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. It appears to activate voltage-sensitive sodium channels (VSSCs) on nerve cell membranes, as the pharmacological effects of brevetoxin (BTX) as well as ciguatoxin are blocked by tetrodotoxin. Among BTX analogs, brevenal binds to a site that is distinctly different from BTX binding location, but induces allosteric modulation of the BTX binding site, thus attenuating the BTX response of the cell. Biomolecular detection of BTX varies from cytotoxicity assay, receptor binding assay, immunoassay, to biosensor. Receptor binding assay (RBA) measures BTX in shellfish extracts by competitive displacement of a tritium-labeled BTX (H-BTX-3) from sodium channel binding sites in isolated rat brain membranes or whole cell preparations. Immunoassays such as radioimmunoassay (RIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) provide sensitive and specific approaches for BTX detection.
