Paralytic Shellfish Toxins: Analysis, New Analogs, Toxicology, Vectors, and Impacts in Wildlife

Dear Colleagues,

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are a group of natural neurotoxic alkaloids that can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). PSP is characterized by neurological symptoms that vary from mild to severe and can even result in death. PSTs bioaccumulate in certain marine biota, are transferred throughout aquatic food webs, and can be vectored to humans. Therefore, it is essential to regularly monitor the production of phytoplankton and shellfish PST content in harvesting areas. PSTs can also seriously impact marine ecosystems, causing strandings and deaths in seabirds, seals, whales, etc. For years, fishery closures and PSP in humans were mainly attributed to filter-feeders (i.e., bivalve mollusks), although certain countries monitor other seafood as well. Recent studies report more frequent findings of PSTs in additional invertebrate vectors and fish. Therefore, it is essential to gather more data for the purpose of risk assessment and evaluation and to review monitoring strategies accordingly. Monitoring programs rely on intensive sampling and analysis that require rapid, sensitive, accurate, and precise testing methods. The accuracy of these methods is, among other factors, dependent on the availability of reference materials (standards and tissues), information on the congener’s toxicity, and the identification of new analogues.

This Special Issue is open to original research articles and reviews dealing with PSTs and the following subjects:

- new analytical methods (substantial modifications of internationally validated/well-established methods or their application to new matrixes);

- development of new reference materials;

- identification and characterization of new congeners;

- toxicological studies;

- the impact of PSTs on wildlife and new reports in non-traditional vectors;

- novel detection tools of PSTs production in marine environmental samples;

- biosynthetic pathways and gene regulation of PSTs; and

- toxinological studies leading to unveil environmental conditions or genetically determined factors responsible for differences in PSTs profiles between groups or strains from the same taxon.

Dr. Begoña Ben-Gigirey

Dr. Rosa Isabel Figueroa
Guest Editors

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