Pufferfish poisoning from Arothron stellatus: The first confirmed case in India with exact DNA sequencing-based species identification

Toms C Joseph; D B Goswami; M A Pradeep; T K Anupama; Ejaz Parmar; V Renuka; S Remya; C N Ravishankar

doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.07.014

Pufferfish poisoning from Arothron stellatus: The first confirmed case in India with exact DNA sequencing-based species identification

Toxicon. 2021 Sep:200:180-182. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.07.014. Epub 2021 Jul 28.

Authors

Toms C Joseph¹, D B Goswami², M A Pradeep³, T K Anupama⁴, Ejaz Parmar⁴, V Renuka⁴, S Remya⁵, C N Ravishankar⁵

Affiliations

¹ ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, 682 029, Kerala, India. Electronic address: tomscjoseph@gmail.com.
² Shivam ICU and Trauma Centre, Veraval, 362 269, Gujarat, India.
³ Marine Biotechnology Division, ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin, 682 018, Kerala, India.
⁴ Veraval Research Centre of ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Veraval, 362 269, India.
⁵ ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, 682 029, Kerala, India.

PMID: 34332005
DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.07.014

Abstract

A puffer fish poisoning case was reported from the coastal city of Veraval in the Gujarat state of India with patient reporting symptoms of giddiness, vertigo, aphasia and heaviness of head following consumption of cooked fish. Treatment was purely symptomatic and supportive. The patient was discharged from the hospital in a stable condition after 4 days. The suspected fish species was later identified using DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) sequencing as Arothron stellatus with 100% identity.

Keywords: Biotoxin; Fish poisoning; Marine toxin; Tetrodotoxin (TTX).

MeSH terms

Animals
Humans
India
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Tetraodontiformes* / genetics
Tetrodotoxin

Substances

Tetrodotoxin