SCIENTIFIC OPINION Marine biotoxins in shellfish - Pectenotoxin group 1 Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food chain

SUMMARY Pectenotoxin (PTX)-group toxins are a group of polyether-lactone toxins. They have been detected in microalgae and bivalve molluscs in Australia, Japan and New Zealand and in a number of European countries. Their presence in shellfish was discovered due to their acute toxicity in the mouse bioassay after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of lipophilic extracts of shellfish. PTX-group toxins are exclusively produced by Dinophysis species. They can be found in filter-feeding bivalve molluscs such as oysters and mussels. To date 15 different analogues have been isolated and characterised. PTX-group toxins are heat stable, but they are easily destroyed under strong basic conditions such as used for hydrolysis of acyl esters of the okadaic acid (OA)-group toxins. PTX-group toxins are also labile under acidic conditions. PTX-group toxins in shellfish are always accompanied by toxins from the OA-group. This appears to be the basis for grouping PTX-group toxins and OA-group toxins in the European regulation. The Scientific Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) concluded that because PTX-group toxins do not share the same mechanism of action as OAgroup toxins they should not be included in the regulatory limit for OA-group toxins. The toxicological database for PTX-group toxins is limited and comprises mostly studies on their acute toxicity in mice. There are no reports on adverse effects in humans associated with PTX-group toxins. The available data on lethality in mice only comprise information following i.p. injection and are not sufficient to establish robust toxicity equivalency factors 1 For citation purposes: Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain on a request from the European