ABSTRACT
Since dinoflagellates, together with other marine microalgae, form the base of the marine food chains, then these toxins can be inadvertently consumed by people when eating shellfish that had, in turn, fed on toxic dinoflagellates. One division of marine microalgae that is somewhat exotic in that it is only distantly related to most other plants is the dinoflagellate group. A brief description of these microalgae, their toxins, and the control measures required to prevent human poisoning is presented in this report. A second group of dinoflagellate toxins that can be passed on to humans through consumption of contaminated shellfish is the polyether compounds that cause diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP). As pointed out above, Australian PSP toxins are predominantly of the sulfocarbamoyl type, thus it is the potential conversion to more potent toxins that must be accommodated when designing regulations in the interests of public health.
