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VICTORIA LÓPEZ-RODAS Y COLS. AN. R. ACAD. NAC. FARM.

neurological and cardiovascular disorders. The gastrointestinal
symptoms are diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain occur,
followed by neurological dysfunction including muscular aches,
reversal of temperature sensation, dizziness, anxiety and a numbness
and tingling of the mouth and digits. In the most severe cases,
paralysis and death have been reported. The symptoms appear within
2 to 6 h, and the complete syndrome develops within 24 h and lasts
around one week, but it may persist for weeks or months. Recovery
time is variable, weeks, months or years. Rapid treatment (within
24 h) with mannitol and calcium is reported to relieve some
symptoms (21). Prevention of intoxication depends on complete
abstinence from eating any tropical reef fish.

NSP toxins are polycyclic ethers denominated brevetoxins (BTXs).
The primary producer is a dinoflagellate Gymnodinidium breve,
which causes mass mortality of fish. Pharmacological studies have
revealed that BTXs produce their damaging effects by acting on site
5 of voltage-sensitive sodium channels (22). NSP produces an
intoxication syndrome nearly identical with that of ciguatera. In this
syndrome, gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms predominate.
The recovery is generally complete in a few days. In addition,
formation of toxic aerosols by wave action during an algal bloom
can produce respiratory asthma-like symptoms. No deaths have been
reported and the syndrome is less severe than ciguatera.

However, in Spain Diarrethic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) is
perhaps the main problem at both public health and economic levels.

HABS AND DIARRHETIC SHELLFISH POISONING (DSP)
SYNDROME

Diarrethic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) is a human syndrome that
is produced by the consumption of shellfish that feed DSP toxic-
producing dinoflagellates (Dinophysis spp., Prorocentrum lima, P.
maculosum, Protoceratium reticulatum). The first reported cases of
DSP were in the Netherlands in the 1960s. In Spain the first toxic
outbreak of DSP was registered in August 1978 in the Ría of Ares (La
Coruña, NW Spain) (4). Repeated outbreaks of DSP are detected
worldwide (23-25). During the last decades, it has been observed a

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