Only a few species of dinoflagellates are toxic
but they produce a wide variety of illnesses including Paralytic,
Diarrhetic and Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning. Also stemming from
toxic dinoflagellates, Ciguatera Fish Poisoning is one of the
most reported food-borne illnesses. A notable illness that is
associated with toxic diatoms is Amnesic Shellfish
Poisoning. A variety of toxins, which
are introduced into the food web by these phytoplankton, can pose
serious risks to humans who eat contaminated seafood. For example,
humans risk death from Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning if
they eat shellfish that have accumulated a particularly dangerous
saxitoxin which is produced by species
within the genus Alexandrium.