Identification and Toxicity of the Resting Cysts of Protogonyaulax Found in Ofunato Bay

Abstract

The resting cysts of Protogonyaulax collected from the bottom sediments of Ofunato Bay showed a toxic level of 3.1–3.4 x 10−4 MU/cell, which was comparable to that of P. tamarensis motile cells naturally occurring in the bay. To clarify the identity of these cycts, they were germinated in the laboratory to obtain clone cultures. Sixteen cultures of Protogonyaulax were obtained out of 65 resting cysts inoculated. All of them were found to be toxic and identified as P. tamarensis by morphological examination. One of the clones coded as OFRC-789 was grown in a large scale and the paralytic shellfish toxins produced were analysed by means of column and thin layer chromatography supplemented with electrophoresis. The toxin profile was almost identical to that of P. tamarensis cultures isolated from the motile organisms form the same area. © 1982, The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science. All rights reserved.