Survey of ciguatera at Enewetak and Bikini, Marshall Islands, with notes on the systematics and food habits of ciguatoxic fishes

Journal Article · Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1980 · Fish. Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6413203

Randall, J E

A total of 551 specimens of 48 species of potentially ciguatoxic fishes from Enewetak and 256 specimens of 23 species from Bikini, Marshall Islands, were tested for ciguatoxin by feeding liver or liver and viscera from these fishes to mongooses at 10% body weight (except for sharks, when only muscle tissue was used). The fishes are representatives of the following families: Orectolobidae, Carcharhinidae, Dasyatidae, Muraenidae, Holocentridae, Sphyraenidae, Mugilidae, Serranidae, Lutjanidae, Lethrinidae, Carangidae, Scombridae, Labridae, Scaridae, Acanthuridae, and Balistidae. The species selected were all ones for which toxicity can be expected, including the worst offenders from reports of ciguatera throughout Oceania; only moderate to large-sized adults were tested. In all, 37.3% of the fishes from Enewetak and 19.7% from Bikini gave a positive reaction for ciguatoxin. Because liver and other viscera are more toxic than muscle, the percentage of positive reactions at the level which might cause illness in humans eating only the flesh of these fishes collectively would drop to 16.2 for Enewetak and 1.4 for Bikini. This level of toxicity is not regarded as high for Pacific islands, in general. Because ciguatoxin is acquired through feeding, the food habits of these fishes were investigated. Most of the highly toxic species, including seven of the eight causing severe illness or death in the test animals (Lycodontis javanicus, Cephalopholis argus, Epinephelus hoedtii, E. microdon, Plectropomus leopardus, Aprion virescens, and Lutjanus bohar) are primarily piscivorous.

• Research Organization: Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI
• OSTI ID: 6413203
• Journal Information: Fish. Bull.; (United States), Vol. 78:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
FISHES
TOXINS
HEALTH HAZARDS
BEHAVIOR
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DIET
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
FOOD CHAINS
INGESTION
LABORATORY ANIMALS
LIVER
MARSHALL ISLANDS
METABOLISM
POISONING
PUBLIC HEALTH
QUANTITY RATIO
SENSITIVITY
TOXICITY
ANIMALS
ANTIGENS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BODY
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
GLANDS
HAZARDS
INTAKE
ISLANDS
MATERIALS
MICRONESIA
OCEANIA
ORGANS
TOXIC MATERIALS
VERTEBRATES
520100* - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (-1989)
552000 - Public Health
550200 - Biochemistry