Human fatality in Timor Leste after eating the xanthid crab, Zosimus aeneus

Sodium channel and saxiphilin radioreceptor assays were carried out to determine whether paralytic shellfish toxins were present in the gut contents, liver, blood, bile and urine of a male who died in 2000 after consuming a crab, Zosimus aeneus. A second uneaten specimen from the meal was also tested. HPLC analysis of toxin profiles was also carried out on the gut content and urine of the victim, and the uneaten crab specimen.A dose likely to have been consumed by the victim was calculated (between 1 and 2 µg STX equivalents/kg). To use sodium channel and saxiphilin receptor assays, and confirm the results by HPLC analysis, to identify paralytic shellfish toxins in gut contents, various body fluids and tissues obtained post-mortem from the victim. Proportions of individual paralytic shellfish toxin profiles (mol% of STX, dcSTX, GTX2, GTX3, NEO) to total toxin content of the samples are given where discernable by HPLC analysis.

本研究采用钠通道（sodium channel）与saxiphilin放射受体分析法，对2000年因食用正直爱洁蟹（*Zosimus aeneus*）后死亡的男性死者的胃肠内容物、肝脏、血液、胆汁及尿液中是否存在麻痹性贝类毒素（paralytic shellfish toxins）进行了检测，同时对本次餐食中留存的未食用该蟹标本开展了同款检测。此外，本研究采用高效液相色谱（High Performance Liquid Chromatography, HPLC）法，对死者的胃肠内容物与尿液，以及未食用的蟹标本进行了毒素谱分析，并计算出死者实际可能摄入的毒素剂量范围为1~2 μg 石房蛤毒素（Saxitoxin, STX）当量/千克体重。本研究旨在通过钠通道与saxiphilin受体分析法，并结合高效液相色谱法验证检测结果，以鉴定死者死后采集的胃肠内容物、多种体液及组织中的麻痹性贝类毒素。对于经高效液相色谱法可分辨的样本，本研究给出了各麻痹性贝类毒素组分（石房蛤毒素STX、脱氨甲酰基石房蛤毒素dcSTX、膝沟藻毒素GTX2、膝沟藻毒素GTX3、新石房蛤毒素NEO）占样本总毒素含量的摩尔百分比（mol%）。