title: Toxin and species identification of toxic octopus implicated into food poisoning in Taiwan.
abstract: A food poisoning incident due to ingestion of unknown octopus occurred in Taipei in December, 2010. The serum and urine from victims (male 38 and 43 years old) were collected, determined the toxicity, and identified tetrodotoxin (TTX) by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). It was found that only urine contained the trace of TTX. Then, two retained specimen (one without blue ring in the skin and another with small blue ring in the skin) were collected from victims and examined for the toxicity and toxin. Meanwhile, 6 specimens of octopus without blue ring in the skin and 4 specimens of octopus with blue ring in the skin were re-collected from the market. Both retained octopus samples were found to contain TTX. However, re-collected market's octopus without blue ring in the skin did not show to contain TTX the and was identified as Octopus aegina by using the analysis of cytochrome b gene (Cyt b) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI). Only octopus with blue ring in the skin contained TTX and was identified as Hapalochlaena fasciata by using the analysis of Cyt b and COI. Therefore, this octopus food poisoning was caused by toxic octopus H. fasciata and the causative agent was TTX.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Technology and Marketing Management, Taipei College of Maritime Technology, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ya-Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Center of Excellence for Marine Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Lan
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Center of Excellence for Marine Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chien-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Nutrition Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Technology and Marketing Management, Taipei College of Maritime Technology, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiao-Chin
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Jen
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shi-Jie
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jian
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Center of Excellence for Marine Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan; Department of Health and Nutrition Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address: dfhwang@mail.ntou.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Deng-Fwu
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D049831:Octopodiformes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D013779:Tetrodotoxin
keywords: Blue-ringed octopus; Hapalochlaena fasciata; High-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS); Octopus aegina; Tetrodotoxin (TTX)