Tetrodotoxin (TTX) and its analogues are naturally occurring toxins typically linked to pufferfish consumption, and, to a lesser extent to marine gastropods and crabs, and are historically responsible for human poisoning cases and fatalities in Eastern Asia. To date, TTX and its analogues have been found in several other edible taxa, including, in the last decade, marine organisms from temperate European waters. Despite no monitoring or regulation of TTX in Europe, only one case of human intoxication has been reported, after the consumption of a marine gastropod. In this study, we report for the first time, the detection of TTX analogues, but no TTX,  in two species of edible crabs Afruca tangeri (Eydoux, 1835) and Carcinus maenas (Linnaeus 1758) harvested in Europe, more precisely the Algarve (south of Portugal). In A. tangeri, three TTX analogues (TTX epimer, deoxyTTX, and trideoxyTTX) were found, but only trideoxyTTX was found in C. maenas. Thus, the accumulation of TTX analogues might be influenced by the crabs' different feeding ecology. The results provided here are notable because they give the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) new information on the current incidence of emergent marine toxins in Europe, and highlight the need to monitor TTX and analogues in edible species identified as TTX-bearers to provide adequate health protection.

Primary Presenter: Sandra Lage, Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR-Algarve) (smlage@ualg.pt)

Authors:

Sandra Lage,  Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR-Algarve)  (smlage@ualg.pt)

Felicitas ten Brink, Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull  (F.ten-Brink-2019@hull.ac.uk)

Adelino V M Canário, Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR-Algarve)  (acanario@ualg.pt)

José P Da Silva, Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR-Algarve)  (jpsilva@ualg.pt)