Tetrodotoxin Content of the Small Gastropod Nassarius sufflatus

• Published in: Food Hygiene and Safety Science (Shokuhin Eiseigaku Zasshi) Vol. 64; no. 6; pp. 236 - 239
• Main Authors: Tatsuno, Ryohei, Yamasaki, Ryo, Mizokami, Kai, Hayashi, Genki, Fukuda, Tsubasa, Furushita, Manabu, Takahashi, Hiroshi, Sonoyama, Takayuki, Hori, Shigeo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Japan Japanese Society for Food Hygiene and Safety 2023; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Botulism; Fluorescence; Food contamination; Food poisoning; HPLC; HPLC-FLD; Liquid chromatography; Marine molluscs; Muscles; Nassarius; Poisoning; pufferfish toxin; small gastropod; Tetrodotoxin; Viscera; small gastropod; pufferfish toxin; tetrodotoxin; HPLC-FLD
• ISSN: 0015-6426; 1882-1006
• DOI: 10.3358/shokueishi.64.236

Severe tetrodotoxin (TTX) poisoning due to small gastropods has been documented in Japan. In this study, we investigated the TTX content of the muscles and viscera of Nassarius sufflatus collected off the coast of Futaoi Island, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, to prevent the occurrence of TTX poisoning caused by this small gastropod. Live specimens were obtained, and their muscles and viscera were collected. Test solutions were prepared from tissues of specimens and analyzed for TTX by HPLC-fluorescence detection. TTX was detected in both tissues at concentrations ranging from <0.1 to 18.2 μg/g for muscle and <0.1 to 130.7 μg/g for viscera. These results suggested that N. sufflatus accumulates TTX not only in its viscera but also in its muscles, and that precautions should be taken to prevent food poisoning due to this gastropod.