The National Commission for Surveillance and Control of the Toxic Red Tide in Guatemala, declared a red tide alert because the constant monitoring and analysis that is carried out showed high concentrations of saxitoxins above the appropriate limits.
The presence of toxic red tide was detected on the Pacific Coast, on the coast of Tiquisate, Escuintla, indicated Virginia Herzing de Stwolinsky, head of the Risk Management Unit of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS).
For this reason, bivalve mollusks, such as mussels, clams and shells. The consumption of the aforementioned foods produces severe intoxication and could even cause death.
Saxitoxins are also known as paralytic shellfish poisons (PSPs). Most human saxitoxin toxicoses have been associated with the ingestion of marine shellfish, which accumulate saxitoxins produced by marine dinoflagellates. However, saxitoxins are also found in freshwaters, produced by cyanobacteria in the genera Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, Planktothrix, Cylindrospermopsis, Lyngbya and Scytonema
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