PARALYTIC SHELLFISH TOXINS IN THE MARINE GASTROPODS ZIDONA DUFRESNEI AND ADELOMELON BECKII FROM ARGENTINA: TOXICITY AND TOXIN PROFILES

ABSTRACT The marine waters around Argentina are periodically affected by a range of phytoplankton species that are known producers of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins. The toxic dinoflagellates Alexandrium tamarense and Gymnodinium catenatum have been associated with PSP outbreaks in bivalve molluscs such as mussels. These bivalves are used as a food source by a number of species of carnivorous gastropods, including 2 species of marine snails, Zidona dufresnei and Adelomelon beckii. There is, consequently, a significant risk to consumers of the snails, which can accumulate PSP toxins after predation on the bivalves. Forty-one snail samples of carnivorous snails harvested between 1986 and 2012, representing 2 species (Z. dufresnei and A. beckii), were analyzed for PSP by the reference mouse bioassay (MBA) method and an alternative liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC-FLD) method based on AOAC 2005.06. Sample toxicities determined by the 2 methods correlated well, with no statisti...