Paralytic shellfish poisoning due to ingestion of contaminated mussels: a 2018 case report in Caparica (Portugal)

Lopes de Carvalho, I.; Pelerito, A.; Ribeiro, I.; Cordeiro, R.; Núncio, M.S.; Vale, P.

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/6546

Use this identifier to reference this record.

Name:	Description:	Size:	Format:
238 ILC Paraltytic shellfish poisonig....pdf		988.39 KB	Adobe PDF	Download

Send Feedback

Authors

Lopes de Carvalho, I.

Abstract(s)

In Portugal, the potent paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) have appeared irregularly since the onset of a national monitoring program for marine biotoxins in 1986. In years where high contamination levels were attained in bivalves, sporadic cases of human poisonings have been recorded, as in 1994 and 2007. The reappearance of high contamination levels led to the appearance of new cases during the autumn of 2018. This study details toxin ingestion, symptomatology and toxin elimination and metabolization in the fluids of two patients, who ingested mussels from the Portuguese southwest coast and required hospitalization due to the severity of symptoms. Toxin elimination was confirmed by ELISA in plasma and urine samples. In mussel samples, the toxin profile obtained by HPLC-FLD displayed a wide diversity of toxins, typical of Gymnodinum catenatum ingestion. However, in the urine samples, the toxin profile was reduced to B1 and dcSTX. Abundant compounds in mussels having an O- sulphate at C11, such as C1þ2 and dcGTX2þ3, were absent in urine. In plasma, PSTs were not detected by HPLC- FLD. Calculated toxin ingestion, resulting from consumption of an estimated 200-g portion, was in the range of 104–120 μg STX eq./kg b. w.

Highlights: Since 1986 Gymnodinium catenatum contaminates irregularly bivalves in Portugal with PSTs; Acute neurological symptomology, such as paraesthesias, has often required hospitalization; During an episode in October 2018, toxins in fluids of two victims and toxin ingestion were studied; Preliminary confirmation was done by ELISA in serum and urine; PSP toxins with an O-sulphate at C11, abundant in mussels, were absent in urine.