Detection of shellfish toxins from scallops in Guangzhou seafood market

Huazhang L (1), Wen-xue L (1), Quan-xin Z (1), Guang-yu Y (1), Jun-tao L (1), Li M (2), Wei Z (1)

(1) Department of Toxicology, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; (2) Department of Preventive Medicine, Guangzhou Military Region CDC, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China.

Abstract: To evaluate scallop safety in the Guangzhou seafood market, contents of shellfish toxins in adductor muscle, mantle skirts, gills and visceral mass of scallops were examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and mouse unit assay. The results showed that: paralytic shellfish poisoning contents were up to 37.44 mg/100 g by ELISA and 319.99 MU/100 g by mouse unit assay, which did not exceed the limits of national standards (80 mg/100g and 400 MU/100 g); the contents of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning were 142.04 mg/100g and 0.2 MU/100 g, which exceeded the national standard limits (60 mg/100g); neurotoxic shellfish poisoning was undetectable; the contents of amnesic shellfish poisoning reached 220.12 mg/100g (no limit value could be referred to) . In addition, these poisons were present mainly in visceral mass and gills rather than adductor muscle and mantle skirts, suggesting that these toxins accumulate in a tissue-specific manner.

Key words: paralytic shellfish poisoning, diarrheic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, amnesic shellfish poisoning, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, mouse unit assay.

COPYRIGHT

© CEVAP 2011

SUBMISSION STATUS

Received: October 28, 2010.

Accepted: January 25, 2011.

Abstract published online: January 26, 2011.

Full paper published online: February 28, 2011.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

There is no conflict.

FINANCIAL SOURCE

National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program, 2006AA02A311), Guangdong Science and Technology Department (93085) and Guangzhou municipal bureau of Science and Technology (2009Z1-E061) provided the financial grants.  

ETHICS COMMITTEE APPROVAL

The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee for Animal Experimentation of the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China.

CORRESPONDENCE TO

WEI ZHU, Department of Toxicology, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, People’s Republic of China. Phone: 86-20-36545123, Email: zhuyc126@126.com.