Joanne F. Jellett¹, M. Angelica Silva¹, Maurice V. Laycock¹, Elizabeth R. Belland¹, Pamela C. Bishop¹, Michael A. Quilliam² , Allan D. Cembella².
¹Jellett Biotek Ltd., 327 Prince Albert Rd. Suite 5, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 1N7, Canada, (T)902-463-7744, ²National Research Council of Canada, Institute for Marine Biosciences, 1411 Oxford St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3Z1, Canada

Jellett Biotek Ltd., in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada, has developed rapid diagnostic tests, MIST Alert^TM, that can detect the presence of biotoxins in shellfish and phytoplankton. In parallel trials with the mouse bioassay, MIST Alert for PSP^TM detected 100% of the toxic shellfish samples and detected the majority of extracts containing PSP toxin over 325g/100g.

Blooms of toxic microalgae species, such as those of the genus Alexandrium in Canada, Gymnodinium in New Zealand, and Pyrodinium in many parts of Southeast Asia, are associated with one of the most potentially harmful algal events, Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP). Human consumers of contaminated seafood are exposed to a serious health risk when PSP is present. The MIST Alert^TM test can instantly detect PSP toxins in phytoplankton, both in the laboratory and in the field, and has been shown to provide an effective early warning system of PSP algal blooms in field studies in Nova Scotia. The MIST Alert for PSP^TM, which has been adapted for detection of PSP toxins in phytoplankton, is capable of detecting 50-100 cells of the marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense and can be used to track changes in cellular toxin content throughout the culture cycle. A similar test for ASP has also been field tested in Nova Scotia. It also can detect 50-100 cells and the same preparation method is used for both the ASP test and the PSP test. Further development and application of this rapid test as an early warning system of PSP toxic blooms will be carried out at aquaculture sites worldwide.