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Barrientos RG, Hernández-Mora G, Alegre F, Field T, Flewelling L, McGrath S, Deeds J, Chacón YS, Rojas Arrieta K, Vargas EC, Artavia KB, Stacy BA. Saxitoxin Poisoning in Green Turtles ( Chelonia mydas) Linked to Scavenging on Mass Mortality of Caribbean Sharpnose Puffer Fish ( Canthigaster rostrata-Tetraodontidae). Front Vet Sci 2019; 6:466. [PMID: 31921922 PMCID: PMC6928104 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Fish within the family Tetraodontidae are potential sources of both endogenous tetrodotoxins (TTXs) and dietary derived saxitoxins (STXs). Ingestion of fish tissues containing these toxins by other vertebrates can lead to severe illness and death. The Caribbean sharpnose puffer (Canthigaster rostrata) is a widespread tetraodontid species within the western Atlantic. Mass settlement of juveniles into foraging habitats have been associated with large-scale puffer fish mortality events. In 2013, 2014, and 2017, puffer mortality events on the southern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica were also associated with strandings of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) found to have fed on C. rostrata. Stranded sea turtles were found dead without apparent cause or alive with severe neurological signs that resolved during short periods of captivity. Puffer fish and turtle organ samples were analyzed for both TTXs and STXs. Concentrations of TTXs were extremely low in the fish (0.5-0.7 μg/g) and undetectable in turtle stomach contents. However, concentrations of STXs in whole fish (16.6-47.5 μg STX-eq/g) exceeded the 0.8 μg STX-eq/g human seafood safety threshold for STXs by orders of magnitude. Saxitoxins were also detected in samples of stomach contents (ingested fish), brain, lung, kidney, and serum from three affected turtles. Study results indicate that saxitoxicosis resulting from opportunistic foraging on C. rostrata during fish mortality events may be a significant factor in episodic stranding of green sea turtles in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío González Barrientos
- Section of Anatomic Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Gabriela Hernández-Mora
- Área de Bacteriología, Laboratorio Nacional de Servicios Veterinarios, Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal (SENASA), Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | | | | | - Leanne Flewelling
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, FL, United States
| | - Sara McGrath
- US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Jonathan Deeds
- US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Yajaira Salazar Chacón
- Unidad de Residuos y Contaminantes en Alimentos de Origen Acuático, Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal (SENASA), Laboratorio Nacional de Servicios Veterinarios, Departamento de lnocuidad de Alimentos, Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Karla Rojas Arrieta
- Unidad de Residuos y Contaminantes en Alimentos de Origen Acuático, Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal (SENASA), Laboratorio Nacional de Servicios Veterinarios, Departamento de lnocuidad de Alimentos, Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Emilia Calvo Vargas
- Laboratorio de Fitoplancton Marino, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Estación de Biología Marina Juan Bertoglia Richards, Universidad Nacional, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
| | - Karen Berrocal Artavia
- Laboratorio de Fitoplancton Marino, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Estación de Biología Marina Juan Bertoglia Richards, Universidad Nacional, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
| | - Brian A. Stacy
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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