Abstract Tetrodotoxins are a potent neurotoxic class of toxins with potentially fatal effects if ingested by humans, and thus, these toxins are a dangerous threat for food safety. Tetrodotoxins are widely distributed among various organisms of different taxa, i.e. pufferfish, blue-ringed octopuses and marine gastropods. Lately the presence of these toxins has been reported in mussels (Mytilus sp.). Countries like the United Kingdom, Greece, the Netherlands, and Italy have increasingly notified the detection of tetrodotoxins in these bivalves, which are widely diffused in European shellfish farming. In this context we report, for the first time, the detection of substantial amounts of tetrodotoxins in Mytilus galloprovincialis collected in Italy in a single area of the Northern Adriatic Sea (Marano Lagoon). Tetrodotoxin-positive mussels were identified in samples collected from that geographic area at the end of May in the context of official monitoring programs both in 2017 and 2018. After the positive results were obtained by means of mouse bioassay screening, tetrodotoxins were detected and quantified by HILIC-MS/MS, revealing the bioaccumulation in the mussels of 541 and 216 μg/kg in 2017 and 2018 respectively, the highest amount ever found in mollusks in Europe. The presence of tetrodotoxins at the concentration of 413 μg/kg was further confirmed with Liquid Chromatography coupled to High Resolution Mass Spectrometry in the mussels sampled in 2017.

中文翻译：

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亚得里亚海北部（意大利）的双壳类软体动物首次发现河豚毒素

摘要 河豚毒素是一类强效的神经毒性毒素，如果被人类摄入可能会致命，因此，这些毒素对食品安全构成危险威胁。河豚毒素广泛分布于不同分类群的各种生物中，例如河豚、蓝环章鱼和海洋腹足动物。最近有报道称贻贝（Mytilus sp.）中存在这些毒素。英国、希腊、荷兰和意大利等国家越来越多地通报在这些双壳类动物中检测到河豚毒素，这些双壳类动物在欧洲贝类养殖中广泛传播。在这种情况下，我们首次报告在意大利北部亚得里亚海（马拉诺泻湖）的一个区域收集到的 Mytilus galloprovincialis 中检测到大量河豚毒素。在 2017 年和 2018 年官方监测计划的背景下，5 月底从该地理区域收集的样本中发现了河豚毒素阳性贻贝。 通过小鼠生物测定筛选获得阳性结果后，河豚毒素被检测和量化HILIC-MS/MS，揭示了 2017 年和 2018 年贻贝中的生物蓄积量分别为 541 和 216 μg/kg，这是欧洲软体动物中发现的最高含量。2017 年取样的贻贝中的液相色谱与高分辨率质谱联用进一步证实了浓度为 413 μg/kg 的河豚毒素。通过小鼠生物测定筛选获得阳性结果后，通过 HILIC-MS/MS 检测和定量河豚毒素，揭示 2017 年和 2018 年贻贝中的生物蓄积量分别为 541 和 216 μg/kg，是有史以来最高的软体动物在欧洲。2017 年取样的贻贝中的液相色谱与高分辨率质谱联用进一步证实了浓度为 413 μg/kg 的河豚毒素。通过小鼠生物测定筛选获得阳性结果后，通过 HILIC-MS/MS 检测和定量河豚毒素，揭示 2017 年和 2018 年贻贝中的生物蓄积量分别为 541 和 216 μg/kg，是有史以来最高的软体动物在欧洲。2017 年取样的贻贝中的液相色谱与高分辨率质谱联用进一步证实了浓度为 413 μg/kg 的河豚毒素。