title: Toxin levels and profiles in microalgae from the north-Western Adriatic Sea--15 years of studies on cultured species.
abstract: The Northern Adriatic Sea is the area of the Mediterranean Sea where eutrophication and episodes related to harmful algae have occurred most frequently since the 1970s. In this area, which is highly exploited for mollusk farming, the first occurrence of human intoxication due to shellfish consumption occurred in 1989, nearly 10 years later than other countries in Europe and worldwide that had faced similar problems. Until 1997, Adriatic mollusks had been found to be contaminated mostly by diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxins (i.e., okadaic acid and dinophysistoxins) that, along with paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins (i.e., saxitoxins), constitute the most common marine biotoxins. Only once, in 1994, a toxic outbreak was related to the occurrence of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins in the Adriatic coastal waters. Moreover, in the past 15 years, the Adriatic Sea has been characterized by the presence of toxic or potentially toxic algae, not highly widespread outside Europe, such as species producing yessotoxins (i.e., Protoceratium reticulatum, Gonyaulax spinifera and Lingulodinium polyedrum), recurrent blooms of the potentially ichthyotoxic species Fibrocapsa japonica and, recently, by blooms of palytoxin-like producing species of the Ostreopsis genus. This review is aimed at integrating monitoring data on toxin spectra and levels in mussels farmed along the coast of the Emilia-Romagna region with laboratory studies performed on the species involved in the production of those toxins; toxicity studies on toxic or potentially toxic species that have recently appeared in this area are also reviewed. Overall, reviewed data are related to: (i) the yessotoxins producing species P. reticulatum, G. spinifera and L. polyedrum, highlighting genetic and toxic characteristics; (ii) Adriatic strains of Alexandrium minutum, Alexandrium ostenfeldii and Prorocentrum lima whose toxic profiles are compared with those of strains of different geographic origins; (iii) F. japonica and Ostreopsis cf. ovata toxicity. Moreover, new data concerning domoic acid production by a Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata strain, toxicity investigations on a Prorocentrum cf. levis, and on presumably ichthyotoxic species, Heterosigma akashiwo and Chattonella cf. subsalsa, are also reported.
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Center for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Sant'Alberto 163, Ravenna 48123, Italy.
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pistocchi
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Center for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Sant'Alberto 163, Ravenna 48123, Italy.
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guerrini
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Center for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Sant'Alberto 163, Ravenna 48123, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pezzolesi
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Center for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Sant'Alberto 163, Ravenna 48123, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riccardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology and Marine Ecology, University of Messina, Salita Sperone 31, Agata, Messina 98166, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vanucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry of Natural Substances, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via D. Montesano 49, Napoli 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ciminiello
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry of Natural Substances, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via D. Montesano 49, Napoli 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8337-3029
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dell'Aversano
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry of Natural Substances, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via D. Montesano 49, Napoli 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Martino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forino
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry of Natural Substances, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via D. Montesano 49, Napoli 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fattorusso
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry of Natural Substances, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via D. Montesano 49, Napoli 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tartaglione
authors.affiliation: National Reference Laboratory for Marine Biotoxins, Fondazione Centro Ricerche Marine, Viale A. Vespucci 2, Cesenatico (FC) 47042, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milandri
authors.affiliation: National Reference Laboratory for Marine Biotoxins, Fondazione Centro Ricerche Marine, Viale A. Vespucci 2, Cesenatico (FC) 47042, Italy.
authors.forename: Marinella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pompei
authors.affiliation: National Reference Laboratory for Marine Biotoxins, Fondazione Centro Ricerche Marine, Viale A. Vespucci 2, Cesenatico (FC) 47042, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cangini
authors.affiliation: National Reference Laboratory for Marine Biotoxins, Fondazione Centro Ricerche Marine, Viale A. Vespucci 2, Cesenatico (FC) 47042, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pigozzi
authors.affiliation: National Reference Laboratory for Marine Biotoxins, Fondazione Centro Ricerche Marine, Viale A. Vespucci 2, Cesenatico (FC) 47042, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riccardi
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000737:chemistry; D017753:Ecosystem; D006801:Humans; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000032:analysis*; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D058086:Microalgae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008978:Mollusk Venoms; D019319:Okadaic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D035964:Oxocins / Q000032:analysis; D012530:Saxitoxin / Q000032:analysis; D012758:Shellfish / Q000032:analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D008387:Marine Toxins; D008978:Mollusk Venoms; D035964:Oxocins; D019319:Okadaic Acid; D012530:Saxitoxin; C066632:yessotoxin