PARALYTIC SHELLFISH POISONING (PSP)

A pathological condition in humans caused by the consumption of certain marine mussels or clams that have fed on planktonic dinoflagellates belonging to the genus Gonyaulax. The mussels or clams become contaminated with a neurotoxin produced by the dinoflagellates, and subsequent consumption by humans results in respiratory or gastrointestinal distress. The condition occurs in conjunction with the phenomenon known as the Red Tide, a bloom of dinoflagellate population in marine waters.