Globally, increased harmful algal blooms (HABs) are being reported. Some species of phytoplankton responsible can synthesis toxic compounds which can lead to a range of toxicity poisoning syndromes.
Increased focus on HABs has seen rapid progress in new approaches and technologies for research and management programmes. The complexity of the HAB phenomena requires multidisciplinary studies ranging from molecular and cell biology to large-scale field surveys, leading to increased knowledge on toxinology, physiology, and ecology of blooms. Shellfish monitoring programs include phytoplankton cell detection through sampling, real time PCR, and counting of individual species by taxonomists.
After azaspiracids were first identified as a new marine biotoxin, further exploratory work identified the organism responsible for the toxin as Azadinium; this lead to Azadinium being added to the list of monitored phytoplankton. Since then 11 species of Azadinium and numerous analogs of azaspiracids have been identified globally; only four species have shown the presence of AZA toxins, with A. spinosum (synthesises AZA-1, -2) the most toxic species.
Greater knowledge of the species biological and genetic traits is required to support the monitoring and mitigation efforts currently underway at national, European and global levels supporting the aquaculture industry. This project aims to investigate the diversity and azaspiracid production potential of Azadinium in Irish waters, document the biological oceanography of Azadinium in strategically important estuaries (eg. Killary Harbour) for shellfish aquaculture, and investigate the apparent discrepancy of shellfish contaminated with azaspiracids associated with relatively low numbers of Azadinium cells in the water column.
