Contribution of marine invertebrates to Ciguatera poisoning : the case study of French Polynesia Reported as early as the 15th century by explorers, ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is the most prominent non-bacterial seafood poisoning worldwide. Widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, CFP results from the consumption of coral reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTXs) produced by Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa species. These potent neurotoxins can pose a severe health hazard causing gastrointestinal, neurological and cardiovascular disorders, with cold allodynia being a typical symptom of ciguatera. Yet, other seafood products such as several species of marine invertebrates highly prized by many island communities in the Pacific region, have also been episodically involved in ciguatera-like poisoning incidents. Indeed, the first mass poisoning outbreak ever documented in the literature following the ingestion of the giant clam Tridacna maxima occurred in 1964 in Bora Bora Island (French Polynesia). This poisoning event which affected a total of 33 patients who displayed mainly gastrointestinal and neurological disorders, eventually led to the death of 3 people [1]. Years later, from 2001 onwards, similar incidents were again reported from French Polynesia, but also New Caledonia and the Cook Islands. Of note, besides the digestive and neurological manifestations typically evocative of CFP, patients displayed additional symptoms, such as the rapid onset of the disease, an unusual severity of symptoms including paralysis in some patients, and a rapid burning of their mouth and tongue [2, 3]. Additional poisoning cases following the ingestion of sea urchins, i.e. Tripneustes esculentus and Tripneustes gratilla, have also been described in the West Indies [4] and French Polynesia [5, 6], respectively, while other marine invertebrates such as the big blue octopus Octopus scyanea, the nimble spray crab, Percnon spp., and the large worm shell Dendropoma maxima have been involved in sporadic poisoning events in the Cook Islands [2]. In addition, the lobsters Panulirus penicillatus and octopus from the Republic of Kiribati [7] as well as two starfish from Madeira waters, Ophidiaster ophidianus and Marthasterias glacialis [8], have been recently found to also bioaccumulate CTXs. Since many of these edible marine invertebrate species represent a valuable source of protein and revenue in Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs), it is therefore important to document these atypical forms of ciguatera further. The following data describe 2 recent mass-poisoning events which occurred in Anaho Bay (Nuku Hiva Island, Marquesas archipelago, Fig. 1) following the consumption of toxic specimens of Tectus niloticus, (gastropods) and Tripneustes gratilla (echinoids) in 2014 and 2015, respectively [9-11]. Regardless of the toxic seafood, all patients (9 tourists and 3 tourists, respectively) experienced gastrointestinal and neurological disorders. Cardiovascular symptoms were recorded only in patients that had ingested T. niloticus, a likely explanation for this being that patients who consumed toxic sea urchins delayed presenting at hospital, [10, 11]. In the case of the T. niloticus poisoning event, the unusual severity of both gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms necessitated the hospitalization of 6 out of the 9 patients. Unfortunately, in both cases, no food remnants were available for confirmation analysis. Instead, field investigations were undertaken periodically in the toxic area in order to survey the toxicity level in these 2 groups of marine invertebrates and assess the identity Fig. 1. Study site of Anaho Bay in Nuku Hiva Island, Marquesas Archipelago, French Polynesia 6 HARMFUL ALGAE NEWS NO. 60 / 2018 Harmful Algae News An IOC Newsletter on Toxic Algae and Algal Blooms No. 60 - July 2018 www.ioc-unesco.org/hab Marine eukaryote and HAB monitoring in Japan with next generation technology Sequencing technologies such as Illumina MiSeq have made it possible to obtain billions of sequence reads in a Frequency distribution (%) the surface data was used in this study. Surface seawater (0.5 L) was collected weekly with a plastic bucket during the same period. For MPS-based monitoring based on amplicon-seq of 18S-rRNA gene (V79 region), PCR amplification and 454 pyrosequencing were performed accor Inland Sea, 2-17-5 Maruishi, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima 739-045, Japan Hiroshi Shimada, Central Fisheries Research Institute of Hokkaido Research Organization, Hamanaka-cho 238, Yoichi, Hokkaido 0468555, Japan Seiji Katakura, City of Mombetsu, Kaiyo-koryukan, Kaiyo-koen, Mombetsu, Hokkaido 094-0031, Jap Quantifying dinoflagellate cysts in bottom sediments: a response to Anderson 2018 Problems associated with quantifying dinoflagellate cysts in bottom sediments featured prominently in Don Anderson s personal retrospective view of his contribution to the early days of HAB cyst research published rece viously, sample sites should be chosen to avoid such areas if possible. Clearly, there is room for questions or criticism when this dynamic system is modelled from the assumption that bottom sediments, for example in Anderson s work in The Gulf of Maine, are in a static stable condition whereby a sa Contribution of marine invertebrates to Ciguatera poisoning : the case study of French Polynesia Reported as early as the 15th century by explorers, ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is the most prominent non-bacterial seafood poisoning worldwide. Widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, CFP res au développement du phytoplancton ciguatérigène en Polynésie française: CARISTO-Pf n7937/MSR/REC of 4th of December 2015 and Arrêté nHC/491/ DIE/BPT of 30th March 2016). Figure 2. Comparison of Pacific ciguatoxins (P-CTXs) profiles in A) in vitro cultures of Gambierdiscus polynesiensis (TB-92 [14]) Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT) technology for field monitoring of Gambierdiscus toxins with passive samplers Ciguatera poisoning is a seafood intoxication classically associated with the consumption of tropical coral reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTXs), although some marine Fig. 2. Summary of the results demonstrating that SPATT passive sampling could advantageously contribute to the reinforcement of ciguateric risk assessment and management programmes as a supplementary tool. or of very low densities of toxic Gambierdiscus cells. However, CTXs were detected in numero New limits of Ostreopsis distribution in the Bay of Biscay: a first report of Ostreopsis in Santander Bay, Cantabria (Northern Spain) Fig. 1. Location of sampling sites The genus Ostreopsis encompasses benthic dinoflagellates that represent one of the main microalgal threats for beach tourism in w Bloom of Ostreopsis cf. siamensis in Lisbon Bay Fig. 1. Sampling sites on Lisbon Bay Reports of benthic HAB events have increased during the last decade in temperate regions. These have been associated with proliferations of benthic toxic dinoflagellates, in particular species of Ostreopsis. The M Table1 1- List - List the macroalgaecommunity communityspecies species Table ofof the macroalgae ITSA and ITSB primers [6]. Phylogenetic analysis (not Asparagopsis armata Corallina sp. shown) revealed that all the Caulacanthus ustulatus Cystoseira sp. studied sequences grouped Ceramiacea Derbesia s A possible link between the breakdown of a fertilizer tank and a toxic Pseudonitzschia bloom fishery, leaving toxic blooms undetected in other areas. By the time of the bloom, the diatom community primarily consisted of P. seriata (Fig. 3). Identification of P. seriata as the potential culprit diat Fig. 3. Pseudo-nitzschia seriata TEM micrograph of the poroid structure arranged within the striae consisting of two outer rows of larger poroids and one or two inner rows of smaller poroids. induce DA production in P. australis [7], and the most potent DA-inducing N form has been shown to be urea. Golden alga Prymnesium parvum Carter bloom off Azhikode, southwest India In September 2009, during the southwest monsoon season, a quasi-monospecific bloom of Prymnesium parvum was collected off Azhikode (10o 11 02 N; 76o 09 22 E), on the southwest coast of India (Fig. 1). A conspicuous pale browni Regional Workshop on Monitoring and Management Strategies for Benthic HABs if possible, establish tools for standardized procedures. The exercise is open to the entire international community. The goal of achieving improved assessments of the risks associated with BHABs will help reduce the health, Workshop on morpho-molecular methods for the study of dinoflagellate cysts A workshop on techniques for the morphological and molecular identification of cysts from toxic HAB species, led by Drs Kenneth Neil Mertens, Kirsty Smith, Lesley Rhodes and Lincoln MacKenzie, was held recently at the Cawthro Cawthron Summer Scholar Explores Bloom-Forming Freshwater Cyano bacteria Globally, cyanobacteria blooms in freshwater environments are causing water quality problems and health risks with increasing frequency. New Zealand is no stranger to this, suffering from blooms of toxin-producing cyanobacteria Canadian HAB Scientists Hold Workshop to Establish National Priorities and Develop Research Network A National Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) workshop was organized and chaired by Dr. Ian Perry at the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Sidney, British Columbia, July 11- Joint FAO, IAEA, IOC and WHO Technical Meeting for the development of an InterAgency Global Ciguatera Strategy Harmful Algae News has previously brought information on an initiative between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Environment Laboratories in Monaco jointly with the Oceanographi 12th Advanced Phytoplankton Course - APC 12 Identification, Taxonomy, Systematics Roscoff Biological Station (France) - 19th May to 8th June 2019 APC12 is organized by the Station Biologique de Roscoff together with the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn and the IOC Science and Communication Centre on H ICHA 2018 News: 669 abstracts evaluated ! 250 orals + 45 ignite talks selected and participants notified ICHA 2018 News: 669 abstracts evaluated ! 9 plenaries confirmed 250 orals + 45 ignite talks selected and participants notified 3 satellite sessions 9 plenaries confirmed 3 satellite sessions