Dietary assessment of domoic acid exposure: What can be learned from traditional methods and new applications for a technology assisted device

Abstract

Three Tribal Nations in the Pacific Northwest United States comprise the members of the CoASTAL cohort. These populations may be at risk for neurobehavioral impairment, i.e., amnesic shellfish poisoning, from shellfish consumption as a result of repeated, low-level domoic acid (DA) exposure present in local clams. Previous work with this cohort confirmed a high proportion of clam consumers with varying levels of potential exposure over time. Since clams are an episodically consumed food, traditional dietary records do not fully capture exposure. Frequency questionnaires can capture accumulated doses over time and this data can be used to examine dose-response relationships with periodic studies of memory and learning. However, frequency questionnaires cannot be used to assess consumption and memory response in real time. To address this shortcoming, a modified technology assisted dietary assessment (TADA) iPod application was developed to capture images of the clam meal, sourcing data, and associated memory functioning within 24 hours and seven days after consumption. This methodology was piloted with razor clam meals consumed by members from the CoASTAL cohort. Preliminary findings suggest that the TADA iPod application is potentially useful in collecting real-time data with respect to razor clam consumption, as well as one day and seven day memory outcome data. This technology holds promise for addressing the challenges of other HAB related dietary exposure outcome studies.

Effects of oral domoic acid exposure on maternal reproduction and infant birth characteristics in a preclinical nonhuman primate model

“…Coastal-dwelling tribal nations are at particularly high-risk for long-term, low-dose exposure because of their reliance on the ocean as an essential economic resource, foundation of cultural identity and year-round food source. A dietary survey of tribal members living on three Native American reservations in Washington State found that 84% of respondents indicated recent razor clam consumption (Boushey et al, 2016;Fialkowski et al, 2010). The impact of chronic DA exposure was recently studied in these communities and exposure (as measured by the consumption of razor clams) was associated with decrements in memory that were serious enough to affect everyday living skills (Grattan et al, 2016a(Grattan et al, , 2018.…”

Chronic, low-level oral exposure to marine toxin, domoic acid, alters whole brain morphometry in nonhuman primates

“…In addition to our model, we also chose to give exposures orally and near the current regulatory limits (Mariën, 1996;Wekell et al, 2004), to bring strong environmental relevance to the study. These results may be particularly significant to already vulnerable communities that have close cultural connections to various types of seafood, such as some coastal Native American Tribes, where up to 84% of people regularly consume razor clams (Boushey et al, 2016). As DA algal blooms continue to increase in frequency and severity around the globe, it is imperative that we continue to advance our understanding of the health consequences associated with chronic, low-level intake of this marine biotoxin.…”

The Value of Traditional Ecological Knowledge for the Environmental Health Sciences and Biomedical Research

“…For example, a study begun in 2003 determined the incidence and prevalence of domoic acid–related illness among four coastal Tribal communities in the Pacific Northwest. This study has provided a rational basis for shellfish regulation by the tribe and for preventive education to these disproportionately exposed and medically underserved Native American communities ( Boushey et al 2016 ; Roberts et al 2016 ). The educational components relied on TEK to deliver risk messaging and education to the tribes in language that acknowledged the cultural significance of the shellfish and the role that shellfish gathering played in tribal community life ( Tracy et al 2016 ).…”