Ciguatera toxins in the food chain revealed by stable isotopes

The stable carbon and nitrogen isotope contents of the meat tissues of 27 identifiable fish found in the gut contents of 70 ciguatoxic and non-ciguatoxic barracuda caught along the southwest coast of Puerto Rico have been analyzed. The isotope ratios of those fish found in the stomach contents of ciguatoxic barracuda were significantly different than ratios determined in those fish found in the stomachs of non-ciguatoxic barracuda. The isotope ratios of the toxic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis lenticularis, a presumed vector of ciguatera in the Caribbean were found to be extremely light, particularly for nitrogen. The lightened nitrogen ratios of the herbivore (Doctorfish) and carnivore (Squirrelfish) fishes found in the stomach contents of ciguatoxic barracuda suggest that the dinoflagellate was in the food chain of these barracuda. Results indicate that the trophic pathway of ciguatoxins through the marine food chain from the presumed primary trophic level (dinoflagellates/bacteria) to ciguatoxic barracuda appears to be different than the pathway to non-toxic barracuda. Stable isotope ratios may be a very useful tool for tracing ciguatoxins in the food chain and the identification of ciguatoxic fish.