Searching for Paralytic Toxin, Tetrodotoxin, in Swedish Bivalve Shellfish

Tetrodotoxin (TTX), earlier known as a tropical paralytic neurotoxin from pufferfish poisoning, has increasingly been occurring in edible marine species, including filter-feeding bivalves, from relatively cold marine waters of some European countries. The defined conditions that promote the producti...

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Main Authors: Aida Zuberovic Muratovic, Shyamraj Dharavath, Jonas Bergquist, Malin Persson, Elin Renborg, Heidi Pekar, Mirjam Klijnstra
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Marine Drugs
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/23/6/257
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author Aida Zuberovic Muratovic
Shyamraj Dharavath
Jonas Bergquist
Malin Persson
Elin Renborg
Heidi Pekar
Mirjam Klijnstra
author_facet Aida Zuberovic Muratovic
Shyamraj Dharavath
Jonas Bergquist
Malin Persson
Elin Renborg
Heidi Pekar
Mirjam Klijnstra
author_sort Aida Zuberovic Muratovic
collection DOAJ
description Tetrodotoxin (TTX), earlier known as a tropical paralytic neurotoxin from pufferfish poisoning, has increasingly been occurring in edible marine species, including filter-feeding bivalves, from relatively cold marine waters of some European countries. The defined conditions that promote the production of TTX, its origin or the processes of its accumulation in seafood are still not clarified. Recent studies in temperate waters show, however, that the accumulation of quantifiable levels of TTX in bivalves appears to be influenced by seawater temperature (>15 °C), which indicates a seasonal occurrence at these latitudes. Uncertainties still remain regarding how seawater temperature interacts with other climate and environmental factors or organisms in the marine ecosystem to result in detectable levels of TTX in shellfish. Knowledge of the occurrence and distribution of TTX in the marine environment where the edible bivalves grow is important for maintaining seafood safety, as the toxin is heat-stable and remains potent even after cooking. Therefore, in this study, 264 bivalve samples collected in 2019 and 2021 from 17 sites along the Swedish west coast were analyzed with LC-MS/MS to search for TTX. The study explores the hypothesis of TTX presence in Swedish marine waters, outlines the sample screening strategy and objectives, and reports no evidence of TTX presence in Swedish bivalve shellfish (≥7.8 µg/kg) based on the analyzed samples and the time periods in which the studied samples were collected.
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spelling doaj-art-ef9bed8054a74e80bfc2bde0ca976d202025-08-20T03:27:25ZengMDPI AGMarine Drugs1660-33972025-06-0123625710.3390/md23060257Searching for Paralytic Toxin, Tetrodotoxin, in Swedish Bivalve ShellfishAida Zuberovic Muratovic0Shyamraj Dharavath1Jonas Bergquist2Malin Persson3Elin Renborg4Heidi Pekar5Mirjam Klijnstra6Swedish Food Agency, P.O. Box 622, SE-751 26 Uppsala, SwedenSwedish Food Agency, P.O. Box 622, SE-751 26 Uppsala, SwedenDepartment of Chemistry, Biomedical Center, Analytical Chemistry and Neurochemistry, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 599, SE-751 24 Uppsala, SwedenSwedish Food Agency, P.O. Box 622, SE-751 26 Uppsala, SwedenSwedish Food Agency, P.O. Box 622, SE-751 26 Uppsala, SwedenStockholm Vatten och Avfall, Bryggerivägen 10, SE-106 36 Stockholm, SwedenWageningen Food Safety Research, Wageningen University and Research, Akkermaalsbos 2, 6708 Wageningen, The NetherlandsTetrodotoxin (TTX), earlier known as a tropical paralytic neurotoxin from pufferfish poisoning, has increasingly been occurring in edible marine species, including filter-feeding bivalves, from relatively cold marine waters of some European countries. The defined conditions that promote the production of TTX, its origin or the processes of its accumulation in seafood are still not clarified. Recent studies in temperate waters show, however, that the accumulation of quantifiable levels of TTX in bivalves appears to be influenced by seawater temperature (>15 °C), which indicates a seasonal occurrence at these latitudes. Uncertainties still remain regarding how seawater temperature interacts with other climate and environmental factors or organisms in the marine ecosystem to result in detectable levels of TTX in shellfish. Knowledge of the occurrence and distribution of TTX in the marine environment where the edible bivalves grow is important for maintaining seafood safety, as the toxin is heat-stable and remains potent even after cooking. Therefore, in this study, 264 bivalve samples collected in 2019 and 2021 from 17 sites along the Swedish west coast were analyzed with LC-MS/MS to search for TTX. The study explores the hypothesis of TTX presence in Swedish marine waters, outlines the sample screening strategy and objectives, and reports no evidence of TTX presence in Swedish bivalve shellfish (≥7.8 µg/kg) based on the analyzed samples and the time periods in which the studied samples were collected.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/23/6/257tetrodotoxin (TTX)bivalve shellfishscreeningSweden
spellingShingle Aida Zuberovic Muratovic
Shyamraj Dharavath
Jonas Bergquist
Malin Persson
Elin Renborg
Heidi Pekar
Mirjam Klijnstra
Searching for Paralytic Toxin, Tetrodotoxin, in Swedish Bivalve Shellfish
Marine Drugs
tetrodotoxin (TTX)
bivalve shellfish
screening
Sweden
title Searching for Paralytic Toxin, Tetrodotoxin, in Swedish Bivalve Shellfish
title_full Searching for Paralytic Toxin, Tetrodotoxin, in Swedish Bivalve Shellfish
title_fullStr Searching for Paralytic Toxin, Tetrodotoxin, in Swedish Bivalve Shellfish
title_full_unstemmed Searching for Paralytic Toxin, Tetrodotoxin, in Swedish Bivalve Shellfish
title_short Searching for Paralytic Toxin, Tetrodotoxin, in Swedish Bivalve Shellfish
title_sort searching for paralytic toxin tetrodotoxin in swedish bivalve shellfish
topic tetrodotoxin (TTX)
bivalve shellfish
screening
Sweden
url https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/23/6/257
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