Biotechnological significance of toxic marine dinoflagellates


Abstract:

Dinoflagellates are microalgae that are associated with the production of many marine toxins. These toxins poison fish, other wildlife and humans. Dinoflagellate-associated human poisonings include paralytic shellfish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, and ciguatera fish poisoning. Dinoflagellate toxins and bioactives are of increasing interest because of their commercial impact, influence on safety of seafood, and potential medical and other applications. This review discusses biotechnological methods of identifying toxic dinoflagellates and detecting their toxins. Potential applications of the toxins are discussed. A lack of sufficient quantities of toxins for investigational purposes remains a significant limitation. Producing quantities of dinoflagellate bioactives requires an ability to mass culture them. Considerations relating to bioreactor culture of generally fragile and slow-growing dinoflagellates are discussed. Production and processing of dinoflagellates to extract bioactives, require attention to biosafety considerations as outlined in this review. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Año de publicación:

2007

Keywords:

  • Algal toxins
  • Ciguatera fish poisoning
  • Dinoflagellates
  • Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
  • Marine toxins
  • Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning
  • Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning

Fuente:

scopusscopus

Tipo de documento:

Review

Estado:

Acceso restringido

Áreas de conocimiento:

  • Biotecnología
  • Biología

Áreas temáticas:

  • Microorganismos, hongos y algas
  • Historia natural de los organismos
  • Economía de la tierra y la energía