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Frequent occurrence of the tetrodotoxin-bearing horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda in Vietnam

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  • Chemistry and Biochemistry
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Abstract

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) was detected by HPLC and LC-MS/MS in specimens of the horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda collected from Tan Hai village, Vung Tau province, Vietnam, where cases of poisoning due to the consumption of horseshoe crab have frequently been reported. The soft tissue from 10 out of the 12 specimens analyzed showed considerable levels of TTX, making them unsafe for human consumption (81.2 ± 50.3 MU/g). Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins were also detected in all of the specimens, but the levels were low. These findings show that the frequency of occurrence of C. rotundicauda specimens with a high level of TTX is significantly high, and that the TTX is responsible for the food poisonings caused by the consumption of C. rotundicauda in this area.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by the JSPS Core University Program and also by a Grant-in-Aid (10165318), as well as by a grant from the Vietnamese Academy of Sciences and Technology (VAST).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Oceanography, Vietnam, 01 Cau Da, Nha Trang, Vietnam

    Ha Viet Dao

  2. School of Marine Biosciences, Kitasato University, Sanriku, Ofunato, Iwate, 022-0101, Japan

    Yoshinobu Takata, Shigeru Sato & Masaaki Kodama

  3. Asian Natural Environmental Sciences Center, University of Tokyo, Bunkyou, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Yasuwo Fukuyo

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  1. Ha Viet Dao
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  2. Yoshinobu Takata
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  3. Shigeru Sato
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  4. Yasuwo Fukuyo
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  5. Masaaki Kodama
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Correspondence to Ha Viet Dao.

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Dao, H.V., Takata, Y., Sato, S. et al. Frequent occurrence of the tetrodotoxin-bearing horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda in Vietnam. Fish Sci 75, 435–438 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-008-0041-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-008-0041-5

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