Study of three ciguatera fish poisoning cases in Xiamen city, in 2005 / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To find out the reason of three ciguatera fish poisoning cases in Xiamen in 2005 and identify the fish species.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The grouper implicated in food poisoning and seven other coral reef fishes collected from market were tested by mice bioassay and ciguatoxin-test kit. The mtDNA was extracted from toxic grouper meat, and Cty b gene segment was amplified and the PCR products were sequenced. The sequences were compared with those in the GenBank.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The result turned out to be positive by the ciguatoxin-test kit, while the toxicity of the toxic grouper implicated in food poisoning was 0.11 mouse unit (MU)/g by mice bioassay. A 475 bp segments of Cty b gene was amplified by PCR and the sequence was 99% homologous with Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (GenBank: AY950695).No ciguatoxin in six grouper species collected from market was detected.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>All three food poisoning cases were caused by consumption of ciguatoxin-carrying groupers.</p>

Benzo (a) pyrene residue surveillance in retail food in the city of Xiamen, China: report from 121 samples / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate Benzo (a) pyrene (BaP) residue in retail food of Xiamen.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>BaP residue in 121 retail food samples collected from Xiamen were determined by a rapid BaP detector based on derivative constant-energy synchronous fluorescence technique.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>BaP was detected in 84.3% samples and the concentration were ranged from 0.17 to 59.0 microg/kg. There were 49.6% samples exceeding 5.00 microg/kg, and most of them were roasting food (1.44 - 54.10 microg/kg), processed meat products (0.17 - 59.00 microg/kg) and aquatic products (2.79 - 36.80 microg/kg). The BaP concentration in 34 samples collected from roadside stands were 1.78 - 49.60 microg/kg, of which the rate of the samples exceeding 5.00 microg/kg was 88.2%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The BaP contamination in retail food samples from Xiamen is serious.</p>