The consumption of bivalves contaminated with paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) poses a serious risk to human health. However, the presence of PSTs in bivalves from the South Yellow Sea Mudflat remains unclear. This study comprehensively examined the characteristics and potential health risks of PSTs in eight species of bivalves from the South Yellow Sea Mudflat across four seasons. Typical PSTs, including STX, dcNeoSTX, GTX1, GTX2, GTX3, and GTX4, were detected in white clams, clams, short-necked clams, blue mussels, razor clams, mussels, scallops, and oysters. Significant differences of PSTs concentrations among bivalves across different seasons were detected using Kruskal-Wallis tests (p < 0.05), with the highest PSTs concentrations found in mussels (20.46 μg/individual) during autumn. Furthermore, Pearson tests revealed significant positive correlations between PSTs concentrations and shell length, shell height, shell width, and soft tissue wet weight, indicating that larger bivalves contain higher PSTs levels. The highest dietary toxin intake (DTI) of PSTs across the four seasons was found in mussels (2.138 μgSTX eq. kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹) during autumn. Notably, the exposure risk index (ERI) from bivalve consumption for male consumers was 1.23 ± 0.819, which was higher than that for female consumers (1.102 ± 0.735). The ERI of PSTs for children aged 2–7 and the elderly over 65 were 1.448 ± 0.957 and 1.316 ± 0.874, respectively, which were higher than those for other age groups, indicating that children and the elderly are more sensitive to PSTs. It is important to note that most ERIs of PSTs from total tissues were higher than 1 (potential risk), while ERIs of PSTs from non-digestive tissues were lower than 1, suggesting that potential health risks could be reduced by removing the digestive tissues of bivalves before consumption. This study provides valuable information for mitigating health risks associated with bivalve consumption.

中文翻译：

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南黄海泥滩 8 种双壳类动物毒素的特征及潜在人类健康风险


食用受麻痹性贝类毒素 （PST） 污染的双壳类对人类健康构成严重风险。然而，南黄海泥滩双壳类中 PST 的存在仍不清楚。本研究全面分析了南黄海泥滩 8 种双壳类 PST 在 4 个季节中的特征和潜在健康风险。在白蛤、蛤、短颈蛤、蓝贻贝、剃刀蛤、贻贝、扇贝和牡蛎中检测到典型的 PST，包括 STX 、 dcNeoSTX 、 GTX1 、 GTX2 、 GTX3 和 GTX4。使用 Kruskal-Wallis 测试检测到双壳类在不同季节的 PST 浓度存在显着差异 （p < 0.05），其中秋季贻贝的 PST 浓度最高 （20.46 μg/个）。此外，Pearson 检验显示 PSTs 浓度与壳长、壳高、壳宽和软组织湿重之间存在显著的正相关，表明较大的双壳类含有较高的 PSTs 水平。在四个季节中，青口的 PST 膳食毒素摄入量 （DTI） 最高 （2.138 μgSTX 当量 kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹）。值得注意的是，男性消费者因食用双壳类贝类而产生的暴露风险指数 （ERI） 为 1.23 ± 0.819，高于女性消费者的 （1.102 ± 0.735）。2-7 岁儿童和 65 岁以上老年人的 PST ERI 分别为 1.448 ± 0.957 和 1.316 ± 0.874，均高于其他年龄组，表明儿童和老年人对 PST 更敏感。 值得注意的是，来自总组织的 PST 的大多数 ERI 高于 1（潜在风险），而来自非消化组织的 PST 的 ERI 低于 1，这表明在食用前去除双壳类的消化组织可以降低潜在的健康风险。本研究为减轻与双壳类消费相关的健康风险提供了有价值的信息。