Tetrodotoxin as a toxic principle in the horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda collected from Bangladesh

The toxicity and toxic principle of the horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotu ndicauda collected from Bangladesh during November to December, 1998 were e xamined. Although egg, testis and viscera were recognized to be toxic, thei r toxicity levels were comparatively low (under 10 MU/g; maximum of 7.4 MU/ g in egg). The toxin was purified by ultrafiltration through a YM-1 membran e and two types of chromatography on Bio-Gel P-2 and Bio-Rex 70. The separa ted toxin was analyzed by HPLC, TLC, electrophoresis, and H-1-NMR, and iden tified as tetrodotoxin. This is the first report on the toxicity and toxic principle of the Bangladeshi horseshoe crab.