An Update on Ciguatoxins and CTX-like Toxicity in Fish from Different Trophic Levels of the Selvagens Islands (NE Atlantic, Madeira, Portugal)
Pedro Reis Costa,
Pablo Estévez,
Lucía Soliño,
David Castro,
Susana Margarida Rodrigues,
Viriato Timoteo,
José Manuel Leao-Martins,
Carolina Santos,
Neide Gouveia,
Jorge Diogène,
Ana Gago-Martínez
Affiliations
Pedro Reis Costa
IPMA—Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Brasília, 1449-006 Lisbon, Portugal
Pablo Estévez
Biomedical Research Center (CINBIO), Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Campus Universitario de Vigo, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Lucía Soliño
IPMA—Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Brasília, 1449-006 Lisbon, Portugal
David Castro
Biomedical Research Center (CINBIO), Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Campus Universitario de Vigo, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Susana Margarida Rodrigues
IPMA—Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Brasília, 1449-006 Lisbon, Portugal
Viriato Timoteo
Regional Fisheries Management—Madeira Government, DSI-DRP, Estrada da Pontinha, 9004-562 Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
José Manuel Leao-Martins
Biomedical Research Center (CINBIO), Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Campus Universitario de Vigo, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Carolina Santos
Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza, IP-RAM, Secretaria Regional do Ambiente, e Recursos Naturais e Alterações Climáticas, Regional Government of Madeira, Rua João de Deus, n.º 12 E/F, R/C-C, 9050-027 Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Neide Gouveia
Regional Fisheries Management—Madeira Government, DSI-DRP, Estrada da Pontinha, 9004-562 Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Jorge Diogène
IRTA, Ctra Poble Nou km 5.5, 43540 Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Spain
Ana Gago-Martínez
Biomedical Research Center (CINBIO), Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Campus Universitario de Vigo, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
The Selvagens Islands, which are a marine protected area located at the southernmost point of the Portuguese maritime zone, have been associated with fish harboring ciguatoxins (CTX) and linked to ciguatera fish poisonings. This study reports the results of a field sampling campaign carried out in September 2018 in these remote and rarely surveyed islands. Fifty-six fish specimens from different trophic levels were caught for CTX-like toxicity determination by cell-based assay (CBA) and toxin content analysis by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Notably, high toxicity levels were found in fish with an intermediate position in the food web, such as zebra seabream (Diplodus cervinus) and barred hogfish (Bodianus scrofa), reaching levels up to 0.75 µg CTX1B equivalent kg−1. The LC-MS/MS analysis confirmed that C-CTX1 was the main toxin, but discrepancies between CBA and LC-MS/MS in D. cervinus and top predator species, such as the yellowmouth barracuda (Sphyraena viridis) and amberjacks (Seriola spp.), suggest the presence of fish metabolic products, which need to be further elucidated. This study confirms that fish from coastal food webs of the Selvagens Islands represent a high risk of ciguatera, raising important issues for fisheries and environmental management of the Selvagens Islands.
