Toxicology Commons^™

High Resolution Hybrid Mass Spectrometry For The Determination Of Marine Biotoxins, Azaspiracids, And Their Biotransformation Products., Zuzana Skrabakova

Theses

Azaspiracids (AZAs), polyether marine toxins, are produced by marine microalgae and accumulate in filter-feeding bivalve molluscs, such as mussels, clams, oysters and scallops, while grazing on phytoplankton, from which they derive nutrition. Although being discovered quite recently, AZAs have caused several human intoxication events and thus became a problem for health authorities and shellfish industries. The rapid development of highly sensitive liquid chromatography multiple tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS, LC-MS") methods enabled the identification of numerous AZA analogues and added to the control of shellfish contamination. Tandem mass spectrometry techniques, while being highly selective and sensitive for determination of AZAs in …

Application Of Multiple Mass Spectrometric Techniques In The Isolation, Determination And Characterisation Of The Marine Toxins; Azaspiracid, Keith O'Callaghan

Theses

The Azaspiracids are a class of polyether marine biotoxins that present a significant health risk to consumers of shellfish. Since their discovery in the late 1990s several human intoxications have been reported, and traced to Irish shellfish farms resulting in closures or harvest rejections. As such incidents involving azaspiracid shellfish poisoning have a major socio-economic impact on communities that rely on shellfish farming revenues.

Recent evidence suggests that azaspiracid poisoning events may become more commonplace. With this increased risk the understanding of azaspiracids mode of action and biological targets becomes crucial. To support these endeavours effective analytical methods need to …

Acidic Marine Biotoxins Implicated In Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning, Eoin P. Carmody

Theses

An okadaic acid (OA) etiology has been demonstrated for most outbreaks of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) in Europe, An isomer of OA, dinophysistoxin-2 (DTX-2), has recently been found in Irish waters and, in 1991 and 1994, was the major toxin during prolonged infestations in cultivated mussels (Mytilus edulis) along the south-west coast of Ireland.

The OA class of DSP toxins have been analysed by HPLC using modified versions of three established fluorescent derivatisation methods. A ‘dual tag’ method for the confirmation of specific toxins has also been developed.

Survey work has been carried out over the past four years on …