Abstract
Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa species have been identified in Aotearoa/New Zealand’s coastal waters and G. polynesiensis, a known producer of ciguatoxins, has been isolated from Rangitāhua/Kermadec Islands (a New Zealand territory). The warming of the Tasman Sea and the waters around New Zealand’s northern subtropical coastline heighten the risk of Gambierdiscus proliferating in New Zealand. If this occurs, the risk of ciguatera fish poisoning due to consumption of locally caught fish will increase. Research, including the development and testing of sampling methods, molecular assays, and chemical and toxicity tests, will continue. Reliable monitoring strategies are important to manage and mitigate the risk posed by this emerging threat. The research approaches that have been made, many of which will continue, are summarised in this review.
Highlights
Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) may cause neurological, gastrointestinal, and cardiological symptoms, and can be fatal [1,2]
Known CTX/MTX producers in Aotearoa/New Zealand’s coastal and territorial waters have increased over the last decade (Figure 1) [11,18,39] and, as New Zealand’s coastal waters warm, the likelihood of the CTX-producing G. polynesiensis being detected in northern New Zealand increases
Monitoring for Gambierdiscus in mainland New Zealand waters using artificial samplers will continue with samples analysed using a combination of high-throughput sequencing techniques [35] and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) approaches to determine the presence or absence of species in the genus
Summary
Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) may cause neurological, gastrointestinal, and cardiological symptoms, and can be fatal [1,2]. In addition to the gastropod T. niloticus, CTXs have been reported in a bivalve mollusc (the giant clam Tridacna maxima Tridacnidae, Bivalvia) and a sea urchin (Tripneustes gratilla Toxopneustidae, Echinoidea) These findings, which have been summarised in a review by Chinain et al [8], compound the risks for the many small Pacific Island communities that are dependent on the reef system for sustenance and trade. During the last decade there has been an increase in reports of New Zealand tourists returning from the Pacific Islands and northern Australia with illnesses linked to the consumption of reef fish, and many of these illnesses have been diagnosed as CFP [3,11,12,13]. Monitoring and research are vitally important to understand and mitigate the risk posed by this emerging threat
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