Characterization of Dinophysis acuminata from the Yellow Sea, China, and its response to different temperatures and Mesodinium prey

Dinophysis species are distributed worldwide and cause diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP). This paper documents the first successful culture of a Dinophysis (DAYS01) strain taken off Xiaoping Island, the Yellow Sea, China. The strain was identified as Dinophysis acuminata Claparede & Lachmann by morphological and phylogenetic analysis. The effects of temperature and different Mesodinium prey on the physiological and toxigenic characteristics of D. acuminata DAYS01 were also investigated. The results showed that the toxin concentration (toxin amount per ml of culture) increased with an increase in cell densities. Okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxin 1 (DTX1) and pectenotoxin 2 (PTX2) were the major toxin components of DAYS01, with the highest recorded toxin content of 5.66, 0.56 and 192.87 ng ml(-1) culture medium, respectively. The prey type significantly influenced the growth yield in Dinophysis cultures. There was an effect of prey on the total toxin content, suggesting that the origin or strain of ciliate directly impacted the D. acuminata blooms and the overall toxin concentration in the system.