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Notes
- Abstract:
- Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is the most common seafood-borne illness affecting humans throughout the world. This disease is caused by the presence of ciguatoxins, which are biotransformed and transferred through trophic levels, ultimately accumulating in many commercial fish species. Ciguatera fish poisoning causes gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and neurological disturbances upon eating contaminated fish. While the effects of ciguatoxins on humans are well documented, the effects of ciguatoxins on fish behavior and physiology remain unknown. To address this question, a 42 day oral exposure of Caribbean Ciguatoxin (C-CTX) was performed with a model species, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) (40 control/40 treated). General behaviors and a startle response were recorded for two minutes on a weekly basis and quantified via a computerized tracking system (EthoVision, Noldus Inc.). These video data were divided into a pre-startle phase (1 minute pre-startle), startle response (5 seconds following startle), and a post-startle phase (1 minute post-startle). Fish treated with C-CTX exhibited significantly increated hyperactive behaviors as indicated by elevated velocity, distance travelled, and highly mobile duration after day 14 of testing in all observation periods. Significantly increased thigmotaxis (affinity for the sides of the vessel) and meander (a measure of erratic movement) in C-CTX treated fish was also observed occasionally in C-CTX
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