Determination of Tetrodotoxin in Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (Horseshoe Crab) by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

In recent years, food poisoning due to the consumption of horseshoe crabs has occurred sporadically in China, and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda was responsible for most of these events. A poisoning incident due to the ingestion of C. rotundicauda occurred in Fuzhou, China, in August 2014. The remains of the C. rotundicauda were collected from the home of the victims, and six specimens of C. rotundicauda were obtained from the same market from where the victims' samples were sold. In this study, a rapid and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to determine tetrodotoxin in C. rotundicauda. The calibration curve of tetrodotoxin was linear from 5.0 to 1000 ng/mL. The limits of detection and quantification were 2.1 and 5.0 ng/mL, respectively. The average recoveries, measured at three concentrations, were from 74.8 to 83.6%, with the corresponding relative standard deviation below 3.8%. The C. rotundicauda samples responsible for poisoning and those purchased from the same market were shown to contain tetrodotoxin.