ASSESSMENT OF A RAPID ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY STICK TEST

We have developed a rapidand simple enzyme immunoassay stick test for cigua toxin and related polyether toxins in fish tissues. This assay can be used to examine clinically implicated fishes from ciguatera poisonings, corresponding catches of fishes obtained in the same vicinity as those clinically implicated, non-toxic consumed fishes,and nearshorereeffishes. With this assay, 14clinically documented fishesgave a mean and standarddeviation (@± S.D.) of 3. 1 ± 0.7. The correspondingcatches of fishes from areas implicated in ciguatera poisonings showed the following percentages of toxicity for Ctenochaetus strigosus: Hawaii Island, 45.0%; Kauai, 80.6%; and Oahu, 42.5%. Sixty non-toxic consumed fishes gave a i ± S.D. value of 1.2 ± 0.5, and Thunnusthynnus,a pelagic fish never implicated in ciguaterapoisoning, gave a i( ± S.D. value ofl. 1 ± 0.8. All ofthe clinically implicated fishes were in the borderline to positive value ranges with the stick test. Associated with the high incidence of toxicity of C. strigosus from Kauai, Gambierdiscustoxicus was found in the gut of all 93 fish samples examined. The stick enzyme immunoassay has proven to be sim ple, rapid,sensitive, and specific.