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This research project aims to detect and identify the causal agent(s) responsible for atypical responses in the cmouse bioassay (DSP MBA).
<p>Crude shellfish extracts will be initially screened using liquid chromatography-mass spectometry (LC-MS), LC-fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (LC-FTICR) and a type of LC-MS known as LC-MS<sup>n</sup>.
<p>Sophisticated separation technologies will then be used in combination with these detection methods to look for metabolites or related compounds of some known toxins and to see if any unusual signals stand out as being unique to the samples causing the atypical responses in the MBA.
Since 2001, the algal biotoxin monitoring programme has detected atypical positive responses to the diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) mouse bioassay (MBA) from a number of cockles (and a few mussels) harvested around the coast of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
<p>The FSA commissioned LGC to undertake a study to try to detect, and possibly identify, the causal agent(s) responsible for atypical responses to the DSP MBA.
<p>Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/" target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.