SCIENTIFIC OPINION Marine biotoxins in shellfish - Domoic acid 1 Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain

Domoic acid (DA) and its isomers are marine biotoxins causing amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) in humans. Symptoms of ASP include gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, diarrhoea or abdominal cramps) and/or neurological symptoms (confusion, loss of memory, or other serious signs such as seizure or coma) occurring within 24-48 hours after consuming contaminated shellfish. DA is a water-soluble cyclic amino acid mainly produced by marine red algae of the genus Chondria and diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitschia. The first confirmed outbreak of ASP occurred in Canada in 1987 and was related to mussels affected by a bloom of the Pseudonitzschia f. multiseries. DA isomers have also been detected in shellfish in the United States and in a number of European countries. Although several isomers of DA (diastereoisomer epi-domoic acid (epi-DA) and isodomoic acids (iso-DAs)) have been identified data on the occurrence only of DA and epi-DA (expressed as sum DA) have been reported.