Which species, Alexandrium catenella (Group I) or A. pacificum (Group IV), is really responsible for past paralytic shellfish poisoning outbreaks in Jinhae-Masan Bay, Korea?

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Marinobacter sp. strain LZ-6, isolated from the cell culture of a toxic marine dinoflagellate, Alexandrium catenella LZT09. A total of 4,405 predicted protein-coding genes were revealed, including those associated with initial biosynthesis of the key intermediate of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins (PSTs), namely saxitoxin, and with toxic compound extrusion.

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Parallel Analyses of Alexandrium catenella Cell Concentrations and Shellfish Toxicity in the Puget Sound

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.03095-09 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 76 (14) ◽

pp. 4647-4654 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Sonya T. Dyhrman ◽

Sheean T. Haley ◽

Jerry A. Borchert ◽

Bob Lona ◽

Nicole Kollars ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Puget Sound ◽

Toxicity Testing ◽

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Economic Resources ◽

Cell Distribution ◽

Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Alexandrium Catenella ◽

Paralytic Shellfish Toxins ◽

Paralytic Shellfish ◽

Quantitative Pcr Assay

ABSTRACT Alexandrium catenella is widespread in western North America and produces a suite of potent neurotoxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in humans and have deleterious impacts on public health and economic resources. There are seasonal PSP-related closures of recreational and commercial shellfisheries in the Puget Sound, but the factors that influence cell distribution, abundance, and relationship to paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) in this system are poorly described. Here, a quantitative PCR assay was used to detect A. catenella cells in parallel with state shellfish toxicity testing during the 2006 bloom season at 41 sites from April through October. Over 500,000 A. catenella cells liter−1 were detected at several stations, with two main pulses of cells driving cell distribution, one in June and the other in August. PSTs over the closure limit of 80 μg of PST 100 per g of shellfish tissue were detected at 26 of the 41 sites. Comparison of cell numbers and PST data shows that shellfish toxicity is preceded by an increase in A. catenella cells in 71% of cases. However, cells were also observed in the absence of PSTs in shellfish, highlighting the complex relationship between A. catenella and the resulting shellfish toxicity. These data provide important information on the dynamics of A. catenella cells in the Puget Sound and are a first step toward assessing the utility of plankton monitoring to augment shellfish toxicity testing in this system.

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Toxic Alexandrium catenella expanding northward along the Chilean coast: New risk of paralytic shellfish poisoning off the Bío-Bío region (36° S)

Marine Pollution Bulletin ◽

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112783 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 172 ◽

pp. 112783

Author(s):

Javier Paredes-Mella ◽

Jorge I. Mardones ◽

Luis Norambuena ◽

Gonzalo Fuenzalida ◽

Gissela Labra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Alexandrium Catenella ◽

Chilean Coast ◽

Paralytic Shellfish

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Latitudinal Variation in the Toxicity and Sexual Compatibility of Alexandrium catenella Strains from Southern Chile

Toxins ◽

10.3390/toxins13120900 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 900

Author(s):

Camilo Rodríguez-Villegas ◽

Patricio A. Díaz ◽

Pilar Riobó ◽

Araceli E. Rossignoli ◽

Francisco Rodríguez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Success ◽

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Southern Chile ◽

Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Alexandrium Catenella ◽

The North ◽

Cyst Production ◽

Sexual Compatibility ◽

Paralytic Shellfish ◽

Resting Cysts

The bloom-forming toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella was first detected in southern Chile (39.5–55° S) 50 years ago and is responsible for most of the area’s cases of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Given the complex life history of A. catenella, which includes benthic sexual cysts, in this study, we examined the potential link between latitude, toxicity, and sexual compatibility. Nine clones isolated from Chilean Patagonia were used in self- and out-crosses in all possible combinations (n = 45). The effect of latitude on toxicity, reproductive success indexes, and cyst production was also determined. Using the toxin profiles for all strains, consisting of C1, C2, GTX4, GTX1, GTX3, and NeoSTX, a latitudinal gradient was determined for their proportions (%) and content per cell (pg cell−1), with the more toxic strains occurring in the north (−40.6° S). Reproductive success also showed a latitudinal tendency and was lower in the north. None of the self-crosses yielded resting cysts. Rather, the production of resting cysts was highest in pairings of clones separated by distances of 1000–1650 km. Our results contribute to a better understanding of PSP outbreaks in the region and demonstrate the importance of resting cysts in fueling new toxic events. They also provide additional evidence that the introduction of strains from neighboring regions is a cause for concern.

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High CO2 promotes the production of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins by Alexandrium catenella from Southern California waters

Harmful Algae ◽

10.1016/j.hal.2013.08.007 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 30 ◽

pp. 37-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Avery O. Tatters ◽

Leanne J. Flewelling ◽

Feixue Fu ◽

April A. Granholm ◽

David A. Hutchins

Keyword(s):

Southern California ◽

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Alexandrium Catenella ◽

High Co2 ◽

Paralytic Shellfish

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Short cyst-dormancy period of an Australian isolate of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf97264 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 49 (5) ◽

pp. 415 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

G. M. Hallegraeff ◽

J. A. Marshall ◽

J. Valentine ◽

S. Hardiman

Keyword(s):

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Australian Isolate ◽

Cape Cod ◽

Causative Organism ◽

Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Alexandrium Catenella ◽

South Wales ◽

Paralytic Shellfish ◽

Germination Success ◽

Shallow Estuaries

Cyst beds of Alexandrium catenella (a causative organism of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning) are widespread in New South Wales coastal and estuarine waters (temperature range 13–25˚C). Cysts produced by cultured isolates exhibited dormancy periods at 17˚C as short as 28–55 days. This contrasts with the usually longer dormancy requirements of temperate populations of A. catenella from Japan (97 days at 23˚C) and of A. tamarense from Cape Cod or British Columbia. With some Australian cysts, a 1-h temperature increase from 17˚ to 25˚C (equivalent to summer heating of shallow estuaries) improved germination success (up to 100% germination achieved after 98 days), but cold–dark storage did not produce the lengthened dormancy requirements that have been reported overseas for overwintering temperate cyst populations. The significance of this finding is that different geographic isolates of the same dinoflagellate taxon can have different cyst dormancy requirements which play different ecological roles (overwintering strategy v. rapid cycling between benthos and plankton).

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Latitudinal Variation in the Toxicity and Sexual Compatibility of Alexandrium catenella Strains From Southern Chile

10.20944/preprints202111.0122.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Camilo Rodríguez-Villegas ◽

Patricio Díaz ◽

Pilar Riobó ◽

Araceli E. Rossignoli ◽

Francisco Rodríguez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Success ◽

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Southern Chile ◽

Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Alexandrium Catenella ◽

The North ◽

Cyst Production ◽

Sexual Compatibility ◽

Paralytic Shellfish ◽

Resting Cysts

The bloom-forming toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella was first detected in Southern Chile (39.5–55°S) 50 years ago and is responsible for most of the area’s cases of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Given the complex life history of A. catenella, which includes benthic sexual cysts, in this study we examined the potential link between latitude, toxicity, and sexual compatibility. Nine clones isolated from Chilean Patagonia were used in self- and out-crosses in all possible combinations (n=45). The effect of latitude on toxicity, reproductive success indexes, and cyst production was also determined. Although the toxin profiles were similar for all strains, consisting of C1, C2, GTX4, GTX1, GTX3, and NeoSTX, a latitudinal gradient was determined for their proportions (%) and content per cell (pg cell−1), with the more toxic strains occurring in the north (−40.6°S). Reproductive success also showed a latitudinal tendency and was lower in the north. None of the self-crosses yielded resting cysts. Rather, the production of resting cysts was highest in pairings of clones separated by distances of 1000–1650km. Our results contribute to a better understanding of PSP outbreaks in the region and demonstrate the importance of resting cysts in fueling new toxic events. They also provide additional evidence that the introduction of strains from neighboring regions is a cause for concern.

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Evaluation of sxtA and rDNA qPCR assays through monitoring of an inshore bloom of Alexandrium catenella Group 1

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-51074-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shauna A. Murray ◽

Rendy Ruvindy ◽

Gurjeet S. Kohli ◽

Donald M. Anderson ◽

Michael L. Brosnahan

Keyword(s):

Copy Number ◽

A Priori ◽

Full Range ◽

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Shellfish Poisoning ◽

Alexandrium Catenella ◽

Paralytic Shellfish ◽

Species Specific ◽

Group 1

Abstract Alexandrium catenella (formerly A. tamarense Group 1, or A. fundyense) is the leading cause of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia. The quantification of A.catenella via sxtA, a gene involved in Paralytic Shellfish Toxin synthesis, may be a promising approach, but has not been evaluated in situ on blooms of A. catenella, in which cell abundances may vary from not detectable to in the order of 106 cells L−1. In this study, we compared sxtA assay performance to a qPCR assay targeted to a species-specific region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and an established fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) microscopy method. Passing-Bablok regression analyses revealed the sxtA assay to overestimate abundances when <5 cell equivalents A. catenella DNA were analysed, but otherwise was closer to microscopy estimates than the rDNA assay, which overestimated abundance across the full range of concentrations analysed, indicative of a copy number difference between the bloom population and a culture used for assay calibration a priori. In contrast, the sxtA assay performed more consistently, indicating less copy number variation. The sxtA assay was generally reliable, fast and effective in quantifying A. catenella and was predictive of PST contamination of shellfish.

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