Investigating Non-Native Ribbon Worm Cephalothrix simula as a Potential Source of Tetrodotoxin in British Bivalve Shellfish.

ABSTRACT: Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent marine neurotoxin found in several phylogenetically diverse organisms, some of which are sought as seafood. Since 2015, TTX has been reported in bivalve shellfish from several estuarine locations along the Mediterranean and European Atlantic coasts, posing an emerging food safety concern. Although reports on spatial and temporal distribution have increased in recent years, processes leading to TTX accumulation in European bivalves are yet to be described. Here, we explored the hypothesis that the ribbon worm species Cephalothrix simula, known to contain high levels of TTX, could play a role in the trophic transfer of the toxin into shellfish. During a field study at a single location in southern England, we confirmed C. simula DNA in seawater ad

SUBMITTER: Dhanji-Rapkova M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11509275 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature