Toxicity of the puffer Takifugu rubripes cultured in northern Taiwan

• Published in: Fisheries science Vol. 64; no. 5; pp. 766 - 770
• Main Authors: Lin, S.J. (National Taiwan Ocean Univ., Keelung), Chai, T.J, Jeng, S.S, Hwang, D.F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 1998
• Subjects: FISH CULTURE; Marine; PISCICULTURA; PISCICULTURE; PLATYHELMINTHES; Polycladida; Stylochus orientalis; TAIWAN; Takifugu rubripes; TETRAODONTOIDEI; TOXICIDAD; TOXICITE; TOXICITY; ISEW, Taiwan, Taipei Cty; ISEW, Taiwan, Ilan Cty
• ISSN: 0919-9268; 1444-2906
• DOI: 10.2331/fishsci.64.766

To monitor toxicity of cultured puffer Takifugu rubripes specimens were monthly collected from two aquacultural farm in Ilan County and one farm in Taipei County from November 1996 to October 1997. These specimens were dissected into various parts, and their toxicity was determined by the standard tetrodotoxin bioassay. All specimens collected from Ilan County were non-toxic (< 10 MU/g), while the specimens collected from Taipei County during the period from January to March 1997 showed toxicity in the ovary and liver. The toxicity was as follows: ovary 105 plus or minus 9 (mean plus or minus S.E.) MU/g and liver 13 plus or minus 3 MU/g in January, ovary 88 plus or minus 12MU/g in February, and ovary 253 plus or minus 55 MU/g and liver 17 plus or minus 6 MU/g in March. The highest toxicity of ovary and liver was 624 MU/g and 119 MU/g, respectively. Further, among ten specimens of the flatworm Stylochus orientalis collected from the Taipei's farm in February 1997, four worms showed low toxicity (1-3 MU/specimen). Flatworms contained TTX-related substances as analyzed by HPLC and GC-MS.