• DOI:10.1007/BF00431409
• Corpus ID: 84437298

Vibrio alginolyticus, a tetrodotoxin-producing bacterium, in the intestines of the fish Fugu vermicularis vermicularis

@article{Noguchi1987VibrioAA,
  title={Vibrio alginolyticus, a tetrodotoxin-producing bacterium, in the intestines of the fish Fugu vermicularis vermicularis},
  author={Tamao Noguchi and Deng Fwu Hwang and Osamu Arakawa and Haruo Sugita and Yoshiaki Deguchi and Yasuo Shida and Kanehisa Hashimoto},
  journal={Marine Biology},
  year={1987},
  volume={94},
  pages={625-630}
}

• T. Noguchi, D. Hwang, +4 authors K. Hashimoto
• Published 1 December 1987
• Biology
• Marine Biology

To clarify the mechanism of toxification in animals contaminated with tetrodotoxin, the intestinal contents of the puffer Fugu vermicularis vermicularis were examined for bacterial flora in 1985. Twenty-six out of 33 strains belonged to the genus Vibrio. These bacteria were classified into Groups I to VII, based on biological and biochemical characters. High performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, together with mouse bioassay for toxicity, clearly demonstrated that Group I produced tetrodotoxin and anhydrotetrodotoxin under cultivation with a medium composed of Phytone peptone (BBL) and NaCl. Some other groups also produced this toxin and/or related substances to some extent. Strains of Group I were all identified as Vibrio alginolyticus. Two strains among four produced a detectable amount of tetrodotoxin and/or anhydrotetrodotoxin, as measured by all instrumental analyses applied. Our findings suggest that some strains of V. alginolyticus are closely related to the toxification of the puffer, and probably of other species.