Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning

Amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) is a human illness caused by consumption of the marine biotoxin called domoic acid. This toxin is produced naturally by marine diatoms belonging to the genus Pseudo-nitzschia and the species Nitzschia navis-varingica. When accumulated in high concentrations by shellfish during filter feeding, domoic acid can then be passed on to humans via consumption of the contaminated shellfish; reviewed by Bates and Trainer (2006), Bejarano et al. (2008), Trainer et al. (2008), Lefebvre and Robertson (2010), Bargu et al. (2011), Bargu et al. (2012), Lelong et al. (2012) and Trainer et al. (2012).

Although human illness due to domoic acid has only been associated with shellfish, the toxin can bioaccumulate in many marine organisms that consume phytoplankton, such as anchovies, and sardines. Intoxication by domoic acid in non-human organisms is frequently referred to as "domoic acid poisoning" or "DAP". In mammals, including humans, domoic acid acts as a neurotoxin, causing permanent short-term memory loss, brain damage, and death in severe cases.