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Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (P.S.P) Testing Project

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (P.S.P) Testing Project. A Youth Area Watch and Chenega Bay Environmental Program Project By James & Ian Angaiak Project Supervisor Kate McLaughlin. The Question?. What does water quality have to do with PSP?. The Answer.

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Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (P.S.P) Testing Project

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  1. Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (P.S.P) Testing Project A Youth Area Watch and Chenega Bay Environmental Program Project By James & Ian Angaiak Project Supervisor Kate McLaughlin

  2. The Question? • What does water quality have to do with PSP? The Answer • Due to global warming, the waters are warmer in Alaska. • Toxic algae blooms are showing up in places where we’ve never had them before.

  3. What is PSP? • PSP is a microscopic single-celled algae. • Shellfish feed on algae and accumulate PSP toxin within themselves. • It is caused by humans ingesting bivalves containing PSP toxin such as oysters, clams, and mussels. • PSP occurs worldwide in costal areas.

  4. How is Commercial Testing Done? • Commercial testing is done by using a mouse bioassay which is approved by the U.S. F.D.A. for detection of PSP toxins. • Extracts from 150g of shellfish tissue are injected into mice. • If the mouse dies, PSP is present.

  5. Why Won’t Commercial Testing Work Here? • PSP levels change with location and tide. • Mail system is unreliable. • When the sample arrives at the lab, testing takes several weeks.

  6. Symptoms • Symptom____________________143 people Reported Illness Perasthesias (tingling in the skin) 113 Nausea 45 Extremity numbness 43 Vomiting 34 Weakness 33 Ataxia (Immobility) 32 Shortness of Breath 29 Dizziness 28 Floating Sensation 24

  7. How Much is Lethal and Which Shellfish Hold the Most PSP? • It takes 9g (microgram)s per kilograms per weight of body of PSP to kill you compared to 10,000g of Sodium Cyanide. • FDA considers 80g of toxin is unsafe to eat. • Blue Mussels can hold the most PSP toxin up to 20,000g. • Softshell Clams hold a maximum 47g of PSP.

  8. Our PSP graph.

  9. How Many Tests Were Positive for PSP? • None of the tests were positive, one of the tests was 75% and one was 25% of the control line. • There was not enough toxins to be lethal.

  10. Jellet Testing Kit and Project • The Jellet Testing Kit is a neat little kit to test for PSP. • We are using the Jellet Testing Kit to test for PSP and are trying to certify this test for rural use. • Advantage takes only one hour to get results

  11. Collecting Clams • Wecollected some of the clams fromSeptember through December. • We used head lamps and flashlights to see what we were doing in the dark.

  12. The collected bivalves • Here are the types of shellfish we dug.

  13. The Amounts of Tissue Collected • We shucked a lot of clams to get a sufficient amount of tissue for testing.

  14. Test Procedures • Open and clean clams and make sure you have 150 ml. of tissue and put into beaker.

  15. Test Procedures • Drain for 5 minutes and remove pieces of shell. • Grind meat

  16. Test Procedures • Transfer 10 ml. of pureed tissue into a tube. • Add 10 ml. of extraction liquid to step 4. • Put excess tissue in a bottle and put type of clamshell on the top. • Shake well.

  17. Test Procedures 8. Filter the extraction and catch the drops in another beaker. 9. Open the test strip bag and make sure the dessicant (the bead like bag) pouch is blue. 10. Suck up liquid with a pipette to the black line. 11. Put liquid on the test strip.

  18. Test Procedures 12. Wait for 35 minutes. 13. Look at the C-T line and match to back of red preparation card. 14. If the T-line doesn’t equal C-line, PSP is present. 15. Fill out sheet.

  19. Test Procedures 16. Clean and disinfect equipment, throw away pipette, test strip (optional), and paper filters.

  20. Where Do Our Clams Go? • The clams get sent to Sara Watt Clemons in Palmer, AK to the State of Alaska-DEC. • Our samples will be tested again with the mouse bioassay and compared to our results.

  21. Our Pretty Little Picture and Conclusion • Overall, we think our clams are somewhat OK to eat. • None of our tests were positive for PSP toxin. • We don’t know if our beaches are going to have PSP in the future. • That is why we want to have a certified rural test kit for PSP.

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