Detection of the pufferfish toxin tetrodotoxin in European bivalves, England, 2013 to 2014

A D Turner; A Powell; A Schofield; D N Lees; C Baker-Austin

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES2015.20.2.21009

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Detection of the pufferfish toxin tetrodotoxin in European bivalves, England, 2013 to 2014

A D Turner¹, A Powell¹, A Schofield^1,2, D N Lees¹, C Baker-Austin¹
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Affiliations: ¹ Food Safety Group, Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Weymouth, Dorset, United Kingdom ² Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom

Correspondence:
A Turner
andrew.turner cefas.co.uk
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Citation style for this article: Turner A D, Powell A, Schofield A, Lees D N, Baker-Austin C. Detection of the pufferfish toxin tetrodotoxin in European bivalves, England, 2013 to 2014. Euro Surveill. 2015;20(2):pii=21009. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2015.20.2.21009 Received: 17 Dec 2014

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Abstract

We report the first detection of tetrodotoxins (TTX) in European bivalve shellfish. We demonstrate that TTX is present within the temperate waters of the United Kingdom, along the English Channel, and can accumulate in filter-feeding molluscs. The toxin is heat-stable and thus it cannot be eliminated during cooking. While quantified concentrations were low in comparison to published minimum lethal doses for humans, the results demonstrate that the risk to shellfish consumers should not be discarded.