domoic acid
noun
do·mo·ic acid də-ˈmō-ik- 
: a neurotoxin C15H21NO6 that is produced by some diatoms (especially genus Pseudo-nitzschia) and has caused poisoning in vertebrates (such as sea lions, birds, and humans) that have consumed diatom-contaminated fish or shellfish
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Crustaceans, fish and shellfish can all have high levels of domoic acid in them without showing symptoms, the California Department of Public Health says. 
Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2022 McGuire and others consider the usual culprits that cause injuries among birds, such as paralytic shellfish poisoning and domoic acid toxins from algae blooms. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2022 Recent years have also brought outbreaks of domoic acid, which renders crab unsafe to eat, and increasing incidents of humpback whales getting tangled in crab gear. Julia Rosen, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2022 His brain was damaged from exposure to domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by algae and bacteria blooms found along the Northern California coast. Emily Mullin, Science, 5 Jan. 2022 The likelihood that one factor — domoic acid, in this case — is solely to blame is unlikely. Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2022 High domoic acid levels make the crab unsafe to eat. oregonlive, 25 Nov. 2021 Proving domoic acid poisoning is a particularly difficult endeavor anywhere, but especially in South Africa. Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2022 That marine heat wave also caused algal blooms that produced toxic domoic acid, which showed up in marine mammals and shellfish, causing costly delays in the state’s lucrative Dungeness crab fishery. Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Feb. 2022 See More
Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2022 McGuire and others consider the usual culprits that cause injuries among birds, such as paralytic shellfish poisoning and domoic acid toxins from algae blooms. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2022 Recent years have also brought outbreaks of domoic acid, which renders crab unsafe to eat, and increasing incidents of humpback whales getting tangled in crab gear. Julia Rosen, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2022 His brain was damaged from exposure to domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by algae and bacteria blooms found along the Northern California coast. Emily Mullin, Science, 5 Jan. 2022 The likelihood that one factor — domoic acid, in this case — is solely to blame is unlikely. Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2022 High domoic acid levels make the crab unsafe to eat. oregonlive, 25 Nov. 2021 Proving domoic acid poisoning is a particularly difficult endeavor anywhere, but especially in South Africa. Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2022 That marine heat wave also caused algal blooms that produced toxic domoic acid, which showed up in marine mammals and shellfish, causing costly delays in the state’s lucrative Dungeness crab fishery. Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Japanese dōmoi, the alga Chondria armata
First Known Use
1982, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
domoic acid
noun
do·mo·ic acid də-ˈmō-ik-
: a neurotoxin analog C15H21NO6 of glutamic acid that is produced chiefly by marine diatoms (as Pseudo-nitzschia australis and Pseudo-nitzschia pungens) and has caused poisoning in sea mammals and birds and amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans who have consumed contaminated fish or shellfish