Sea bird mortality at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico: Evidence that toxic diatom blooms are spreading

Domoic acid was found to be responsible for an isolated event involving the massive death of brown pelicans ( Pelecanus occidentalis) in January 1996, at the tip of the Baja California peninsula. The death of these sea birds was the result of feeding on mackerel ( Scomber japonicus) contaminated by...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Toxicon (Oxford) 1997-03, Vol.35 (3), p.447-453
Main Authors: Beltrán, A.Sierra, Palafox-Uribe, M., Grajales-Montiel, J., Cruz-Villacorta, A., Ochoa, J.L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Applied ecology
Aves
Biological and medical sciences
Bird Diseases - chemically induced
Birds
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
Diatoms
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on vertebrates
Fishes
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Kainic Acid - analogs & derivatives
Kainic Acid - isolation & purification
Kainic Acid - poisoning
Marine
Marine Toxins - isolation & purification
Marine Toxins - poisoning
Mexico
Mice
Neuromuscular Depolarizing Agents - isolation & purification
Neuromuscular Depolarizing Agents - poisoning
Pelecanus occidentalis
Poisoning - veterinary
Scomber japonicus
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Domoic acid was found to be responsible for an isolated event involving the massive death of brown pelicans ( Pelecanus occidentalis) in January 1996, at the tip of the Baja California peninsula. The death of these sea birds was the result of feeding on mackerel ( Scomber japonicus) contaminated by domoic acid-producing diatoms ( Pseudonitzschia sp.). The number of dead birds (150 animals) found during a period of 5 days caused alarm and called for a govermental task force that would help to implement emergency measurements to protect other species of bird. Also, local canneries were inspected to verify the safety of their recent production and prevent the toxin entering the human market. Fortunately, the timing, response and coordination of this task force enabled identification of the origin and nature of the toxin that provoked such a phenomenon. Future monitoring is recommended to avoid a larger impact of domoic acid spreading and the occurrence of similar toxic events.
ISSN:0041-0101
1879-3150
DOI:10.1016/S0041-0101(96)00140-7