Variety of PSP toxins in four culture strains of Alexandrium minutum collected from southern Taiwan.

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin profiles were compared among four culture strains of Alexandrium minutum. GTX-1, 2, 3 and 4 are the PSP toxins that occur in A. minutum, and other PSP toxins were not detected. When comparing the toxin profile of four A. minutum strains, GTX1 and 4 were the major toxins in Amtk1, Amtk2, and Amtk4, but in Amtk7, GTX3 and 2 were the major toxins. The results indicate that strains with various toxin profiles exist in southern Taiwan, and suggest that the comparison of the toxin profiles between strains at different localities is difficult. Additionally, the toxin profiles of A. minutum strains cultured in the same environment were different, suggesting that it was owing to the intrinsic nature of toxic algae.