Mehdi Bibak

This investigation was conducted to determine the effect of red tide on human health. Algae or phytoplankton are single-celled photosynthetic organisms that make up the lowest trophic level of aquatic ecosystems. Of the thousands of species of marine algae, a small number are known to produce chemicals that are toxic to other organisms including fish, birds, marine mammals and human. Bloom algae due to change of water color by pigment is called red tide. One pathway common to several marine algal toxins is by human consumption of contaminated shellfish. Four distinct types of human shellfish poisoning have been identified. These are descriptively named paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP), and diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP). Death is possible, although not extremely common, in the most severe cases of PSP and ASP.