The amnesic shellfish poison (ASP) toxins, domoic acid (DA) and DA isomers are water-soluble neurotoxins produced by a number of marine algae, in particular by the microalgae of the genus
Pseudo-nitzschia. Blooms of
Pseudo-nitzschia spp. may lead to the accumulation of DA in shellfish filter feeders and other marine species. Ingestion of DA contaminated shellfish may lead to amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) by affecting the central nervous system, and has caused the death of both animal and human consumers in severe cases. The European Commission Directive 2002/226/EC implemented a maximum permitted level (MPL) of 20 mg DA/kg shellfish intended for human consumption. This MPL is adopted by the regulatory authorities in most other countries.
This quantitative DA EIA kit was developed by AgResearch (Hamilton, New Zealand) for detection of DA in water samples shellfish and algal extracts, and has been optimized and commercialized by Biosense Laboratories AS. The assay is primarily intended for use in routine monitoring of DA levels in bivalve molluscs to comply with the regulatory MPL, but is also applicable for DA quantification in the marine matrixes.
The kit has been thoroughly validated in an international intra and inter laboratory comparison study. For information about the validation results please contact
Hans Kleivdal.
download .pdf product sheet