Friday, November 01, 2013

Ciguatoxins cause ciguatera

The toxin is the causative agent of ciguatera was first isolated from the viscera of moray eels. It was first isolated in 1980 by Scheuer’s group at the University of Hawaii and characterized to be a polyether compound.

Ciguatoxins are lipid-soluble polyether compounds consisting of 13-14 rings fused by ether linkages into almost rigid ladder like structure. They are a family of highly oxygenated.

They are relatively heat stable molecules up to 120° C that remain toxic after cooking and exposure to mild acidic and basic conditions.

In the Pacific Ocean, the main ciguatoxin is Pacific-ciguatoxin-1, which has a molecular weight of 1112 Da and a molecular formula of C60H86O19.

The fatality rate is low possibly because fish rarely accumulate levels of ciguatoxin sufficient to be lethal for humans at a single meal. 

Ciguatoxins are odorless, tasteless and generally undetectable by any simple test. The toxin is a conglomeration of toxins.

Several have been identified including ciguatoxin, scaritoxin, maitotoxin, palytoxin, okadaic acid and multiple subvarieties.
Ciguatoxins cause ciguatera

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