title: Toxicity of Gonyaulax tamarensis var. excavata cells to the brine shrimp Artemia salina L.
abstract: Brine shrimp (Artemia salina L.) were exposed to concentrations of live Gonyaulax tamarensis var. excavata cells ranging from 0 to 13,400 cells/ml in unialgal culture. The shrimp ingested the dinoflagellate cells and an LD50 determination was made. The shrimp had a 72-hr LD50 of 1258 G. tamarensis cells/ml, which was calculated to correspond to 73,385 micrograms/kg of body weight. This figure can be compared with an oral LD50 value of 2100 micrograms/kg for the mouse. Since it requires one-tenth as much toxin to kill a mouse (LD50 approximately 0.04 mg) as to kill an Artemia (LD50 approximately 0.4 mg), the whole cell G. tamarensis bioassay is a poor alternative to the current mouse assay.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001156:Artemia / Q000502:physiology*; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000502:physiology*; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D012530:Saxitoxin / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D012530:Saxitoxin