Ciguatoxin in Hawai'i: Fisheries forecasting using geospatial and environmental analyses for the invasive Cephalopholis argus (Epinephelidae).

Invasive species can precede far-reaching environmental and economic consequences. In the Hawai'ian Archipelago Cephalopholis argus (family Serranidae) is an established invasive species, now recognized as the dominant local reef predator, negatively impacting the native ecosystem and local fishery. In this region, no official C. argus fishery exists, due to its association with Ciguatera seafood poisoning (CP); a severe intoxication in humans occurring after eating (primarily) fish contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTXs). Pre-harvest prediction of CP is currently not possible; partly due to the ubiquitous nature of the microalgae producing CTXs and the diverse bioaccumulation pathways of the toxins. This study investigated the perceived risk of CP in two geographically discrete regions (Leeward and Windward) around the main island of Hawai'i, guided by local fishers. C. argus was collected and investigated for CTXs using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) CTX testing protocol (in vitro neuroblastoma N2a-assay and LC-MS/MS). Overall, 76% of fish (87/113) exceeded the FDA guidance value for CTX1B (0.01 ng g-1 tissue equivalents); determined by the N2a-assay. Maximum CTX levels were ≅2× higher at the Leeward vs Windward location and, respectively, 95% (64/67) and 54% (25/46) of fish were positive for CTX-like activity. Fisher persons and environmental understandings, regarding the existence of a geographic predictor (Leeward vs Windward) for harvest, were found to be (mostly) accurate as CTXs were detected in both locations and the local designation of C. argus as a risk for CP was confirmed. This study provides additional evidence that supports the previous conclusions that this species is a severe CP risk in the coastal food web of Hawai'i, and that ocean exposure (wave power) may be a prominent factor influencing the CTX content in fish within a hyperendemic region for CP.

Investigation of ciguatoxins in invasive lionfish from the greater caribbean region: Implications for fishery development.

Lionfish, native to reef ecosystems of the tropical and sub-tropical Indo-Pacific, were introduced to Florida waters in the 1980s, and have spread rapidly throughout the northwestern Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. These invasive, carnivorous fish significantly reduce other fish and benthic invertebrate biomass, fish recruitment, and species richness in reef ecosystems. Fisheries resource managers have proposed the establishment of a commercial fishery to reduce lionfish populations and mitigate adverse effects on reef communities. The potential for a commercial fishery for lionfish is the primary reason to identify locations where lionfish accumulate sufficient amounts of ciguatoxin (CTX) to cause ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), the leading cause of non-bacterial seafood poisoning associated with fish consumption. To address this issue, an initial geographic assessment of CTX toxicity in lionfish from the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico was conducted. Lionfish samples (n = 293) were collected by spearfishing from 13 locations (74 sampling sites) around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico between 2012 and 2015. The highest frequencies of lionfish containing measurable CTX occurred in areas known to be high-risk regions for CFP in the central to eastern Caribbean (e.g., 53% British Virgin Islands and 5% Florida Keys). Though measurable CTX was found in some locations, the majority of the samples (99.3%) contained CTX concentrations below the United States Food and Drug Administration guidance level of 0.1 ppb Caribbean ciguatoxin-1 (C-CTX-1) equivalents (eq.). Only 0.7% of lionfish tested contained more than 0.1 ppb C-CTX-1 eq. As of 2018, there has been one suspected case of CFP from eating lionfish. Given this finding, current risk reduction techniques used to manage CTX accumulating fish are discussed.

Ciguatoxin prevalence in 4 commercial fish species along an oceanic exposure gradient in the US Virgin Islands.

Ciguatera fish poisoning is a seafood-toxin illness resulting from consumption of fish contaminated with ciguatoxins. Managing ciguatera fish poisoning is complex. It is made easier, however, by local fishers from endemic areas reporting regional predictability for local fish species' ciguatera fish poisoning risk, which the present study then tested. We investigated the prevalence of ciguatoxins in 4 commonly marketed and consumed species (Balistes vetula, Haemulon plumierii, Ocyurus chrysurus, and Epinephelus guttatus) across an oceanic gradient (north, south, east, and west) from the US Virgin Islands. Fish muscle extracts were analyzed for Caribbean ciguatoxins using an in vitro mouse neuroblastoma (N2a) cytotoxicity assay and confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Fish collected from the north location had 0 fish with detectable ciguatoxins; this site also had the greatest wave energy. Caribbean ciguatoxins in fish ranged from 0.01 to 0.11, 0.004 to 0.10, and 0.005 to 0.18 ng Caribbean ciguatoxin-1 eq/g, from the west, east, and south respectively. Ciguatoxin-like activity was detectable by the N2a assay in 40, 41, 50, and 70% of H. plumierii, O. chrysurus, B. vetula, and E. guttatus, respectively. Of the fish collected, 4% had Caribbean ciguatoxin levels exceeding the US Food and Drug Administration guidance of 0.1 ng Caribbean ciguatoxin-1 eq/g fish. These findings concurred with spatial ciguatera fish poisoning prevalence information provided by local fishers in the US Virgin Islands and demonstrate how partnerships between researchers and fishers can aid the improvement of science-based ciguatera fish poisoning management. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;39:1852-1863. Published 2018 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

An Updated Review of Ciguatera Fish Poisoning: Clinical, Epidemiological, Environmental, and Public Health Management.

Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) is the most frequently reported seafood-toxin illness in the world. It causes substantial human health, social, and economic impacts. The illness produces a complex array of gastrointestinal, neurological and neuropsychological, and cardiovascular symptoms, which may last days, weeks, or months. This paper is a general review of CFP including the human health effects of exposure to ciguatoxins (CTXs), diagnosis, human pathophysiology of CFP, treatment, detection of CTXs in fish, epidemiology of the illness, global dimensions, prevention, future directions, and recommendations for clinicians and patients. It updates and expands upon the previous review of CFP published by Friedman et al. (2008) and addresses new insights and relevant emerging global themes such as climate and environmental change, international market issues, and socioeconomic impacts of CFP. It also provides a proposed universal case definition for CFP designed to account for the variability in symptom presentation across different geographic regions. Information that is important but unchanged since the previous review has been reiterated. This article is intended for a broad audience, including resource and fishery managers, commercial and recreational fishers, public health officials, medical professionals, and other interested parties.

Performance Assessment and Comparability of a Commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Kit with Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Chloramphenicol Residues in Crab and Shrimp.

Monitoring for chloramphenicol (CAP) in aquaculture products is primarily performed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), which requires expensive equipment and specialized training. Many laboratories prefer to screen samples with facile and high-throughput enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits for CAP residues before submitting samples for LC-MS/MS quantification and confirmation. We evaluated the performance of a Ridascreen (R-Biopharm) ELISA kit for CAP in spiked and incurred crab and shrimp muscle at levels bracketing the minimum required performance level for analysis (0.3 ng/g). The Ridascreen ELISA kit incorporates antibody directed against CAP. Incurred CAP levels in crab and shrimp muscle were verified using LC-MS/MS. We found good repeatability (relative standard deviation) of the ELISA in spiked and incurred crab and shrimp muscle samples, with values ranging from 6.8 to 21.7%. Recoveries of CAP from tissues spiked at 0.15 to 0.60 ng/g ranged from 102 to 107%. Minimal cross-reactivity with blank crab and shrimp muscle matrix components was observed. ELISA data were highly correlated with those of LC-MS/MS for CAP in incurred muscle tissue. We believe this study to be the first evaluation of the performance and comparability of a CAP ELISA kit and LC-MS/MS for determination of CAP residues, as well as their elimination, in crab muscle. Our findings support the use of this ELISA kit for screening purposes and, when used in conjunction with validated instrumental methods, for regulatory monitoring of CAP in these species.

Prevalence of ciguatoxins in lionfish (Pterois spp.) from Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, and Saint Barthélmy Islands (Caribbean).

Lionfish (Pterois spp.) are invasive species that have recently spread throughout the Caribbean. Lionfish are available for purchase in local markets for human consumption in several islands of the region. We examined the prevalence of ciguatoxins (CTXs) in lionfish from the French Antilles, a ciguatera-endemic region. The neuroblastoma-2a (N2a) cell assay was used to assess composite cytotoxicity in 120 fish samples collected from the surrounding waters of Guadeloupe (n = 60), Saint Barthélemy Islands (n = 55) and Saint Martin (n = 5). Twenty-seven of these samples exhibited CTX-like activity by the N2a assay. Ciguatoxin (CTX) was confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in multiple samples that presented highest composite toxicity levels by N2a. Those fish found to contain CTXs were all from Saint Barthélemy. Lionfish from Guadeloupe and Saint Martin did not exhibit toxin activity, although the sample size from Saint Martin was insufficient to draw any conclusions as to the incidence of CTXs. In this study, we provide information about the potential hazard of ciguatera associated with the consumption of lionfish from known endemic areas. We also demonstrate the utility of the cell-based assay combined with LC-MS/MS to assess activity and to provide structural confirmation of CTXs respectively.