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| Other Prominent Issues (Contaminants, Harmful Algal Blooms, Invasive Species, Aquaculture) |
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| Gravina Island ( Ketchikan) |
| Kachemak Bay (Homer) |
| Kodiak Island (Kodiak) |
| near Icy Straits (Juneau) |
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| shellfish |
| QPCR |
| saxitoxin |
| Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning |
| Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom network |
| public health |
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1021 Development of Rapid, Accurate, Quantitative PCR Assays for Identifying Toxic Alexandrium Species Responsible For Causing Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning
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| Year funded: |
2010 |
| Start date: |
Jul 01, 2010 |
| End date: |
Jun 30, 2012 |
| Budget: |
$99,893.00 |
| Metadata: |
Not Provided |
| Data: |
Not Provided |
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Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) is a chronic problem in Alaska. This illness results from the consumption of molluscan shellfish or crabs which have accumulated neurotoxins produced by harmful algal bloom species in the genus Alexandrium. Symptoms include numbness or tingling of the face, arms, and legs, headache, dizziness, nausea, and lack of muscular coordination. In severe cases muscle paralysis and respiratory failure occurs leading to death in 2 to 25 hours. Because toxin detection is expensive, and widespread or frequent testing is impractical, many coastal regions in Alaska are permanently closed to shellfish harvesting. Consequently, there is a need for an effective system to monitor the risk of PSP. In the northeast US and in Europe, Alexandrium cell counts, in conjunction with molecular assays, have been employed to identify toxic Alexandrium in samples from monitoring programs. Developing a comparable protocol in Alaska is not possible because so little information is known about which species of Alexandrium occur there. The goal of this project is to identify which Alexandrium species are present in Alaska, to confirm which species produce toxins, and to develop rapid species-specific molecular assays that can be used to determine the distribution and abundance of the toxic species. Resource managers and members of the Alaskan Harmful Algal Bloom monitoring network will be instructed on how to use the assays in conjunction with Alexandrium cell counts to assess the risk of PSP.
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| Richard Litaker |
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| NOAA |
101 Pivers Island Rd.
Beaufort NC 28516 USA |
Phone: 252-729-8791
Fax: 252-728-8784
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