Dinophysistoxin-2: a rare diarrhoeic toxin associated with Dinophysis acuta.

Okadaic acid and dinophysistoxin-2 have been found yearly in Portuguese shellfish. Their presence was correlated with the occurrence of Dinophysis spp: Dinophysis acuminata has until now been found to be responsible only for OA contamination, while Dinophysis acuta contributes with OA and the rare diarrhetic toxin DTX2. Differences in toxicity levels may reflect different cell toxicities and different non-toxic phytoplankton availability as food source to shellfish.