Article pubs.acs.org/est
Pacific Ciguatoxins in Food Web Components of Coral Reef Systems in the Republic of Kiribati Yim Ling Mak,†,§ Tak-Cheung Wai,†,§ Margaret B. Murphy,†,‡ Wing Hei Chan,†,§ Jia Jun Wu,†,§ James C. W. Lam,†,§ Leo L. Chan,*,†,§ and Paul K. S. Lam*,†,‡,§ †
State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution and ‡Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China § Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China S Supporting Information *
ABSTRACT: Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is a foodborne illness caused by consumption of coral reef fishes contaminated by ciguatoxins (CTXs); of the known CTX congeners, the Pacific ciguatoxins (P-CTXs) are the most toxic. Little is known about the trophodynamics of P-CTXs in coral reef systems. The present study explores the distribution, transfer, and trophic magnification of P-CTX-1, -2, and -3 in coral reef systems with high (ciguatoxic) and low (reference) ciguatoxicity in a CFP-endemic nation by use of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/ MS). In ciguatoxic coral reef systems, P-CTXs were detected in 54% of herbivorous fishes [total P-CTXs butterflyfish > goatfish, soldierfish, squirrelfish, Moorish idol > lizardfish. P-CTX-1, -2, and -3 levels in these carnivorous fishes were
