Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

First Toxicological Analysis of the Pufferfish Sphoeroides Pach-Ygaster Collected in the Italian Waters (Strait of Sicily): Role of the Citizens Sciences in Monitoring Toxic Marine Species

Version 1 : Received: 6 May 2023 / Approved: 8 May 2023 / Online: 8 May 2023 (08:38:06 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Malloggi, C.; Rizzo, B.; Giusti, A.; Guardone, L.; Gasperetti, L.; Dall’Ara, S.; Armani, A. First Toxicological Analysis of the Pufferfish Sphoeroides pachygaster Collected in Italian Waters (Strait of Sicily): Role of Citizens Science in Monitoring Toxic Marine Species. Animals 2023, 13, 1873. Malloggi, C.; Rizzo, B.; Giusti, A.; Guardone, L.; Gasperetti, L.; Dall’Ara, S.; Armani, A. First Toxicological Analysis of the Pufferfish Sphoeroides pachygaster Collected in Italian Waters (Strait of Sicily): Role of Citizens Science in Monitoring Toxic Marine Species. Animals 2023, 13, 1873.

Abstract

Pufferfish (Tetraodontidae) inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea can represent an emerging public health risk due to the possible accumulation of marine neurotoxins (TTXs and STXs) in their tissues. In this study, the presence of pufferfish species in the Strait of the Sicily (Lampedusa Island, Italy) was investigated using a Citizen Science (CS) approach involving local fishermen. A sub-group of specimens collected were sent to the National reference Laboratory on Marine Biotoxins for de-termining the presence of TTXs using a validated HILIC-MS/MS method on fish tissue. The STXs presence was also screened in some specimens. Overall, 56 specimens, identified as Sphoeroides pachygaster (Müller &Troschel, 1848) were collected. Data on specimen total length, body weight, fishing method, catch area (with relative depth temperature and salinity) were analyzed and compared with the S. pachygaster records reported in Guardone et al. (2018), which were appro-priately updated until 2022. All the analysed tissues were found to be negative for both TTXs and STXs. The key role of the CS in monitoring potentially toxic marine species was proved. Outcomes from this study, the first investigating the toxicity of S. pachygaster in Italian waters, may provide useful data for the proper assessment of this emerging risk

Keywords

marine toxins; TTX; Saxitoxins; pufferfish; not indigenous species; Mediterranean; risk assessment

Subject

Public Health and Healthcare, Other

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