Amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) toxins in plankton and molluscs from Luanda Bay, Angola

The presence of ASP toxins in Luanda Bay, an area 2700 km apart from the closest record of this type of toxicity and with a different hydrographic regime, was studied. Two outbreaks were confirmed by LC/MS/MS with presence of domoic acid and some isomers both, in plankton and in three of the most important bivalve species from the area. Domoic acid levels in the studied bivalves were below the regulatory limits for most countries and the first estimations indicate that they depurated the toxin quickly. It is, therefore, unlikely that any intoxication would have taken place by consumption of these bivalve species. Notwithstanding, the relatively high annual frequency of the blooms together with possibility that other bivalve species could retain this compound more strongly, suggest that this kind of intoxication might pose a significant risk in Angola.