Journal article

Publication year: 2001

Pages: 1649-1656

Journal: Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL

Volume number: 84

Issue number: 5

ISSN: 1060-3271

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Abstract: 
The current status of immunochemical techniques for analysis of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins is summarized. Important aspects regarding production of the biological reagents necessary for immunochemical methods, the characteristics of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against saxitoxin and neosaxitoxin, and the importance of test sensitivity and specificity are discussed. Applications of immunochemical techniques for PSP toxins include microtiter plate enzyme immunoasays and enzyme-linked immunofiltration assays for toxin detection, and immunoaffinity chromatography (IAC) for sample extract cleanup. A major ad.. vantage of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) is simplicity and rapidity of the test procedure, and higher sensitivity than other methods. However, quantitative agreement between EIA and mouse bioassay is dependent on antibody specificity and the toxin profile in the shellfish; thus, both over- and underestimation of total toxicity may occur. For screening purposes, however, EIAs offer major advantages over the mouse bioassay, which is criticized in Europe because of animal welfare. A major application of antibodies against PSP toxins is their use for extract cleanup by IAC, which gives highly purified extracts, thereby enhancing determination of PSP toxins by conventional physicochemical methods such as liquid chromatography. IAC can also be used to isolate PSP toxins for preparation of analytical standard solutions.

Harvard Citation style: Usleber, E., Dietrich, R., Bürk, C., Schneider, E. and Märtlbauer, E. (2001) Immunoassay methods for paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins, Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, 84(5), pp. 1649-1656

APA Citation style: Usleber, E., Dietrich, R., Bürk, C., Schneider, E., & Märtlbauer, E. (2001). Immunoassay methods for paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins. Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL. 84(5), 1649-1656.