ABSTRACT
This chapter provides state-of-the-art overviews on foodborne diseases caused by Saxitoxin in relation to their etiology, biology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Saxitoxin is the parent compound of a group of neurotoxic alkaloids collectively termed paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs). The primary producers of PSTs are prokaryotic freshwater cyanobacteria and eukaryotic marine dinoflagellates; however, they are readily transferred to and accumulate in other aquatic organisms, including mollusks, gastropods, and puffer fish. Human intoxication typically occurs via the consumption of PST-contaminated shellfish, resulting in the syndrome known as paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Saxitoxin and related PSTs are the only biotoxins produced by organisms spanning two kingdoms of life making them an interesting case from an evolutionary perspective. PSTs are low molecular weight neurotoxic alkaloids that share a common tricyclic tetrahydropurine backbone. The subsequent discovery of saxitoxin biosynthesis genes in dinoflagellates by an Australian/Norwegian research collaboration was achieved through high-throughput sequencing of mRNA transcripts and successive gene localization.
