Morphological and toxicity characteristics ofPseudo-nitzschia pungens strain PP0201-01 isolated from the East China Sea

The morphology and toxicity ofPseudo-nitzschia strain PP0201-01, isolated near the estuary of Changjiang (Yangtze) River in Year 2002 and tentatively identified asPseudo-nitzschia pungens, were studied. The strain was identified morphologically asP. pungens using scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The analytical results of LC-PDA (liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector), LC-MS (liquid chromatography with mass detector), and the toxicity data from mouse bioassay, showed that no domoic acid was produced by the strain. However, the mechanism of domoic acid production byPseudo-nitzschia species is complicated. More works are needed to assess the toxic species and to evaluate the potential risk of amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) in China.