Toxicity Equivalency Factors for Marine Biotoxins Associated with Bivalve Molluscs
Abstract
With world bivalve mollusc production continuing to increase, the safety of bivalves intended for human consumption is an important issue. Marine biotoxins are of particular concern and in establishing global guidance in this... [ view full abstract ]
With world bivalve mollusc production continuing to increase, the safety of bivalves intended for human consumption is an important issue. Marine biotoxins are of particular concern and in establishing global guidance in this area the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products requested FAO/WHO to develop a technical document on Toxicity Equivalency Factors (TEFs) for marine biotoxins.
Several groups of shellfish toxins have been described, including the paralytic, diarrhetic and amnesic toxins. Within each group, several structurally-related toxins (congeners) may be present that contribute to the overall toxic potential. Based on their chemical structure, the toxins included in the Codex Standard for Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs (Codex Standard 292–2008) are classified into five groups; the saxitoxin (STX), okadaic acid (OA), domoicacid (DA), brevetoxin (BTX) and azaspiracid (AZA) groups. For risk assessment and management, knowledge of the amount of toxin congeners in the shellfish needs to be supplemented with knowledge on the relative toxicity of each of the congeners, so that the total toxicity can be estimated. This requires the determination of Toxicity Equivalency Factors (TEFs). FAO/WHO set up an Expert Group to provide scientific advice and recommendations on TEFs for biotoxins. This presentation will highlight the work of the Expert Group, in particular an approach to be used for the development of TEFs for each group of biotoxins included in the Codex Standard, as well as tetrodotoxin (TTX), due to its emergence in shellfish.
Authors
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Esther Garrido Gamarro
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the united Nations)
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Vittorio Fattori
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the united Nations)
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Iddya Karunasagar
(International consultant on seafood safety)
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Rei Nakagawa
(World Health Organization)
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Philipp Hess
(IFREMER/)
Topic Area
Toxicology
Session
OS-09 » Approaches to biotoxin detection and monitoring (16:20 - Tuesday, 16th May, Bailey Allen 1)