Warning lights mark molluscs that are not safe to eat (Science Daily)

PharmaLive.com (December 15, 2010) - red tides and similar blooms can make some seafood dangerous to eat, it may be difficult to tell if a particular package contains toxins that cause food poisoning.

A new type of marker developed by chemists at the University of California, San Diego and reported in the journal ChemComm makes it easier to see if molluscs are filled with producer of toxin agencies.

Oysters and mussels accumulate unicellular marine creatures called dinoflagellates in their digestive systems as they filter sea water to feed. Dinoflagellates are generally harmless, but sometimes they produce dangerous toxins. The trick is to find when.

Scientists believe symbiotic bacteria that live on the surface of the dinoflagellate probably help synthesize the toxins, but we know how. Genetic tools often used to untangle these relationships do not work for dinoflagellates have enormous genomes that are not well understood.

This group of chemistry professor Michael Burkhart has taken a different approach. They have implemented a system to add a tag fluorescent enzyme which allows a type of toxin, okadaic acid, but with a twist. By delivery of the tag for a lit the enzyme molecule they insured only parts of cells that are capable of toxin would shine.

Spots glow bright surface of dinoflagellates incubated with marker and symbiotic bacteria and Toxin accumulates in culture. These fires leave and stops the production of toxins, if chemists add antibiotics in the mixture.

The new marker has proved useful in with mussels live as well. Their entrails shines with toxin dinoflagellates producer before the poison transferred into the fabric of moulds itself.

This technique could could form the basis of a system of early warning for aquaculturists and in theory, it could reduce the risk of shellfish poisoning.

Very present, the method requires a microscope relatively expensive fluroscence to display the tagged cells but Burkhart team is optimistic that rapidly developing technology will be soon easy to detect with a handheld device markup.

National Institute of general medical practice and the American Chemical Society Science funded this project.

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Source of the story:

The story above is reproduced (with drafting adaptations by staff at PharmaLive.com) materials provided by University of California - San Diego. The original article was written by Susan Brown.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited for this.