Post-mortem analysis of samples from a human victim of a fatal poisoning caused by the xanthid crab, Zosimus aeneus

After ingestion of a specimen of the crab Zosimus aeneus (Xanthidae), an East Timorese adult male died within several hours. Xanthid crabs are known to harbour paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), tetrodotoxin and palytoxin. A post-mortem examination did not find any obvious pathological abnormalities...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Toxicon (Oxford) 2002-10, Vol.40 (10), p.1463-1469
Main Authors: Llewellyn, L.E, Dodd, M.J, Robertson, A, Ericson, G, de Koning, C, Negri, A.P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Amphibian Proteins
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Biological Assay
Brachyura - chemistry
Carrier Proteins - metabolism
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
Crab poisoning
East Timor
Fatal Outcome
Fatality
gonyautoxin 3
gonyautoxun 2
Humans
Indonesia
Male
Marine
Medical sciences
Plant poisons toxicology
Receptor bioassay
Saxiphilin
Saxitoxin
Saxitoxin - analysis
Saxitoxin - metabolism
Saxitoxin - poisoning
Shellfish Poisoning
Sodium channel
Toxicology
Xanthidae
Zosimus aeneus
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Summary:After ingestion of a specimen of the crab Zosimus aeneus (Xanthidae), an East Timorese adult male died within several hours. Xanthid crabs are known to harbour paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), tetrodotoxin and palytoxin. A post-mortem examination did not find any obvious pathological abnormalities. This absence of pathologies is more often associated with PSTs and tetrodotoxin intoxication. A second, yet uneaten specimen of Z. aeneus from the same meal, contained a significant amount of PSTs and these same toxins were identified in the gut contents, blood, liver and urine of the victim. Metabolism of the PSTs occurred with the ingested crab harbouring gonyautoxin 2, gonyautoxin 3 and saxitoxin (STX) whereas neoSTX, decarbamoylSTX and STX dominated the PSTs in the victim's urine. The PST composition in the gut contents, in both their identity and proportion, was intermediate between the eaten crab and the urine suggesting that toxin conversion commenced in the victim's gut. The dose consumed by the victim was calculated to be between 1 and 2 μg STX equivalents/kg based upon the concentration in the remains of the cooked crab. The victim's meal did not consist solely of the toxic crab eaten and the possibility of other food items acting in a synergistic manner with the consumed PSTs cannot be discounted.
ISSN:0041-0101
1879-3150
DOI:10.1016/S0041-0101(02)00164-2