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Understanding the risks of co-exposures in a changing world: A case study of dual monitoring of the biotoxin domoic acid and Vibrio spp. in Pacific oyster
Summary
This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it examines the co-occurrence of the harmful algal toxin domoic acid and Vibrio bacteria in Pacific oysters in California, focusing on food safety risks from biological rather than plastic contaminants.
Abstract Assessing the co-occurrence of health risk factors in coastal ecosystems is challenging due to limited co-located environmental monitoring data. Understanding co-occurrence is particularly important for risk factors that may be associated with or occur in similar environmental conditions, such as harmful algal bloom toxins and bacterial pathogens within the genus Vibrio . This study examined the co-occurrence of Vibrio spp. and domoic acid (DA) by analyzing existing California Department of Public Health monitoring data of V. parahaemolyticus and DA, and conducting seasonal monitoring for these risk factors across two Southern California embayments. Existing public health monitoring efforts in the state were robust for individual risk factors, however it was difficult to evaluate the co-occurrence of these risk factors in oysters collected around the same date (5-day window) between 2015 and 2020. Co-monitoring of two Southern California embayments revealed that DA and Vibrio spp. ( V. vulnificus or V. parahaemolyticus ) co-occurred in 34% of sampled oysters in most seasons. Interestingly, both the overall detection frequency and co-occurrence of these risk factors was considerably less frequent in water samples. These findings expand our understanding of the simultaneous presence of DA and Vibrio spp. in bivalves and demonstrate the feasibility of co-monitoring different risk factors from the same sample. Individual programs monitoring for different risk factors from the same sample matrix may consider combining efforts to reduce cost and streamline the process and better understand prevalence of co-occurring health risk factors.
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