Abstract
The marine foods we eat may contain various pollutants obtained from the environment, including algal toxins or phycotoxins, which may cause diverse toxic effects in humans. Phycotoxins are substances produced by microscopic algae that are stored and transferred through the food chain to different marine animals, many of them of commercial interest, causing poisoning and even death when are consumed by animals and humans. The intoxications are caused mainly by the consumption of contaminated oysters, clams and mussels, which are known as traditional vectors. However, a lot of studies have shown that other organisms groups which also we fed contain phycotoxins and cause negative effects on our health. These other species are known as non-traditional vectors. This article presents an overview of floral algal blooms and the phycotoxins produced, besides their transfer by traditional and non-traditional vectors, and the regulations and monitoring programs implemented to protect human health.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Alicia Guadalupe Osuna Juarez, Miguel Ángel Hurtado Oliva, Rosalba Alonso Rodriguez
