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Ciguatoxins

IPMA 2014-02-04 (IPMA)

Led by IPMA, the Regional Directorate of Fisheries of Madeira, and the Madeira Natural Park (IFCN-IP-RAM Institute for Forests and Nature Conservation), an expedition to the Selvagens Islands was carried out within the Eurocigua project, between the 3rd and 10th of September, to investigate the occurrence of ciguatoxins in the marine food chain.

Ciguatoxins are very potent natural neurotoxins that can affect humans after eating contaminated fish.

Although endemic to tropical areas such as the Caribbean or Polynesia, cases of poisoning have already been reported in Europe, particularly in Madeira and the Canary Islands.

The Eurocigua project, co-funded by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and coordinated by the Spanish Food Safety Agency (AECOSAN) and Portuguese ASAE, aims to work on three lines: 1- Epidemiology (including INSA participation), 2 - environmental characterization (IPMA participation and collaboration with the Regional Directorate of Fisheries of Madeira and Madeira Natural Park -IFCN) and 3 - Development of analytical methodologies for detection of ciguatoxins in fish (University of Vigo and European Reference Laboratory for Marine Biotoxins).

The Selvagens Islands appear to be the Ciguatera hotspot in Europe, there are reports of various poisonings both in Madeira and the Canary Islands with fish caught on these islands.

Ciguatoxins are produced by epiphytic microalgae (Gambierdiscus) and enter the marine food chain through herbivorous fish and can reach human-hazardous concentrations in organisms at the top of the marine food chain.

The main objective of the trip to Selvagens Islands was to collect water samples to isolate and cultivate toxic microalgae (Gambierdiscus spp), fish capture for later chemical (LCMSMS) and biological (cellular assays) analysis and purification of ciguatoxins.

More information about ciguatoxins in Portugal and the Eurocigua project can be obtained by email from Pedro Reis Costa (prcosta@ipma.pt).