Human fatalities in Vanuatu after eating the xanthid crab, Daira perlata

This was the first case of the crab species, Daira perlata, being inplicated in toxic poisoning. Autopsies were not carried out on the two teenagers who died in 2000 after consuming a meal containing the crab, Daira perlata. Because it was not possible to test for toxicity at the hospital on Tanna Island, the remains of the crab from the meal were sent to the Australian Institute of Marine Science for testing. As these remains had been preserved in formalin which hinders subsequent toxin analysis, 4 specimens of the crab species were collected from the same location (Lenawha Reef) in the fortnight after the poisonings and analysed for toxins using 2 specific and sensitive binding assays but no toxin was detected. Three toxins are known to occur in crabs, saxitoxin, tetrodotoxin and palytoxin (assays available at the time do not detect palytoxin).
To use sodium channel and saxiphilin receptor assays to see if paralytic shellfish toxins could be identified in this species of crab involved in human fatalities.
Crabs are known to bioaccumulate toxins from the environment.

本次为光滑菱蟹（Daira perlata）这一蟹类物种首次被关联至中毒事件的案例。2000年，两名青少年食用了含有该蟹的餐食后身亡，当时未对其进行尸检。由于塔纳岛的医院无法开展毒性检测，餐食中剩余的蟹样本被送往澳大利亚海洋科学研究所（Australian Institute of Marine Science）进行检测。由于这些剩余样本经福尔马林固定，会干扰后续的毒素分析，研究人员在中毒事件发生后的两周内，从同一地点（莱纳瓦礁）采集了4份该蟹类物种的样本，采用2种特异性且高灵敏度的结合分析法开展毒素检测，但未检出任何毒素。已知蟹类可携带三类毒素：石房蛤毒素（saxitoxin）、河豚毒素（tetrodotoxin）与软海绵毒素（palytoxin），但当时可用的检测方法无法检出软海绵毒素。
本研究采用钠通道及saxiphilin受体检测法，旨在从这一牵涉人类死亡事件的蟹类物种中识别麻痹性贝类毒素。
已知蟹类可从环境中生物富集毒素。