Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) due to harmful algal blooms (HABs; also called toxic red tides) continues to be a global food safety issue, particularly in Southeast Asia where the phenomenon is observed to be increasing in frequency and severity(Fukuyo et al. 2011). In the Philippines, PSP is among the greatest of marine poisoning hazards recorded in recent years (Table 5.1) and remains the major threat to the aquaculture industry and seafood consumers. Paralytic shellfish poisoning occurrencesare mainly associated with blooms of toxic dinoflagellates, including Pyrodinium bahamense var. compression (Hermes and Villoso 1983; Estudillo and Gonzales 1984), observed in a number of areas, and Alexandrium minutum (Bajarias et al. 2003), which wasobserved to be spreading in the Philippines (Fig. 5.1).Filter feeders, such as molluscan bivalves, often become a vector of PSP toxins by ingesting toxic microalgae (Montojo et al. 2006). Human consumption of toxin-contaminated shellfish leads to acute poisoning and, in the worse cases, death (Furio and Gonzales 2002). The Philippine government, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), recognized the importance of effective management of HABs by alleviating its related PSP impacts. The primary goal is to develop a protocol for timely and reliable public advisory in order to prevent its adverse effects on human health and the fishing industry.
展开▼
