Algal toxins produced by marine and freshwater microalgae present a signifi
cant analytical challenge because of their complex structures and frequent
occurrence as mixtures of structural congeners, which differ in toxic poten
cies and are present at varying proportions in contaminated samples. Rapid,
sensitive in vitro detection methods specific for each class of algal toxi
ns have been developed over the past decade, including immunoassays, enzyme
inhibition assays, receptor assays, and cell assays. This review discusses
the conceptual approaches to assay development and provides a detailed ass
essment of the use of in vitro detection methods for marine and freshwater
algal toxins.