Identification of Fish Species and Toxins Implicated in a Snapper Food Poisoning Event in Sabah, Malaysia, 2017

Abstract

In the coastal countries of Southeast Asia, fish is a staple diet and certain fish species are food delicacies to local populations or commercially important to individual communities. Although there have been several suspected cases of ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) in Southeast Asian countries, few have been confirmed by ciguatoxins identification, resulting in limited information for the correct diagnosis of this food-borne disease. In the present study, ciguatoxin-1B (CTX-1B) in red snapper (Lutjanus bohar) implicated in a CFP case in Sabah, Malaysia, in December 2017 was determined by single-quadrupole selected ion monitoring (SIM) liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Continuous consumption of the toxic fish likely resulted in CFP, even when the toxin concentration in the fish consumed was low. The identification of the fish species was performed using the molecular characterization of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene marker, with a phylogenetic analysis of the genus Lutjanus. This is the first report identifying the causative toxin in fish-implicated CFP in Malaysia.

Insights into Toxic Prymnesium parvum Blooms as a Cause of the Ecological Disaster on the Odra River

“…Toxins can pose a lethal threat to aquatic fish for several reasons They can, for example, (1) damage gills and other organs, making it difficult for fish to breathe and survive; (2) disrupt the nervous system, leading to disorientation, paralysis, and death [ 23 ]; (3) damage the liver, kidneys, and other organs, leading to organ failure and death [ 24 ]; (4) disrupt the hormonal system, leading to reproductive failure [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]; (5) disrupt the immune system and make fish more susceptible to disease [ 28 , 29 ]; (6) impair fish growth and development, leading to abnormal growth or even death [ 30 ]; and (7) accumulate in fish tissues and can be passed through the food chain, making fish unsafe for human consumption [ 31 ]. It is important to know that toxic substances can come from many sources, including industrial pollution, agricultural runoff [ 32 , 33 ], and even naturally occurring toxins produced by certain species of algae or bacteria [ 34 , 35 ].…”