All Topics  
Paralytic shellfish poisoning

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Paralytic shellfish poisoning
 
 
  Topics Paralytic shellfish poisoning Topic Home

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is one of the four recognized syndromes of shellfish poisoning
Shellfish poisoning

There are four syndromes called shellfish poisoning, which share some common features and are primarily associated with Bivalvia . These shellfish are filter feeders and, therefore, accumulate toxins produced by microscopic algae, such as dinoflagellates and diatoms, and cyanobacteria....
 (the others being neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning

Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning is caused by the consumption of shellfish contaminated by brevetoxins or brevetoxin analogs.Symptoms in humans include vomitting and nausea and a variety of neurologic symptoms such as slurred speech....
, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning
Diarrheal shellfish poisoning

Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning is one of the four recognised symptom types of shellfish poisoning, the others being paralytic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning and amnesic shellfish poisoning....
 and amnesic shellfish poisoning
Amnesic shellfish poisoning

Amnesic shellfish poisoning is a human illness caused by consumption of the marine biotoxin called domoic acid. This toxin is produced naturally by marine diatoms belonging to the genus Pseudo-nitzschia and, when accumulated in high concentrations by shellfish, can then be passed on to humans via consumption of contaminated shellfish....
). All four syndromes share some common features and are primarily associated with bivalve molluscs
Bivalvia

Bivalves are molluscs belonging to the class Bivalvia. They have two-part animal shells, and typically both valves are symmetry along the hinge line....
 (such as mussel
Mussel

The common name mussel is used for members of several different families of clams or bivalve molluscs, from both saltwater and freshwater habitats....
s, clam
Clam

Clam is a word which can be used for all, some, or only a few species of bivalve mollusks; the word is a common name which has no real Taxonomy significance in biology....
s, oyster
Oyster

The common name oyster is used for a number of different groups of bivalve mollusks, most of which live in marine habitats or brackish water....
s and scallop
Scallop

A scallop is a Marine bivalve mollusk of the Family Pectinidae. Scallops are a wiktionary:cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans....
s). These shellfish are filter feeder
Filter feeder

Filter feeders are animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure....
s and, therefore, accumulate toxin
Toxin

A toxin is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms. For a toxic substance not produced by living organisms, "toxicant" is the more appropriate term, and "toxics" is an acceptable plural....
s produced by microscopic algae, such as dinoflagellate
Dinoflagellate

The dinoflagellates are a large group of flagellate protists. Most are marine plankton, but they are common in fresh water habitats as well. Their populations are distributed depending on sea surface temperature, salinity, or depth....
s and diatom
Diatom

Diatoms are a major group of eukaryote algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as Colony in the shape of filaments or ribbons , fans , zigzags , or stellate colonies ....
s, and cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, blue-green bacteria or Cyanophyta, is a phylum of bacteria that obtain their energy through photosynthesis....
. Human toxicity and mortality can occur after ingestion of these animals, but toxicity is also seen in wild animal populations.

Pathophysiology
The toxins responsible for most shellfish poisonings are water-soluble, heat and acid-stable, and ordinary cooking methods do not eliminate the toxins.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Paralytic shellfish poisoning'
Start a new discussion about 'Paralytic shellfish poisoning'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is one of the four recognized syndromes of shellfish poisoning
Shellfish poisoning

There are four syndromes called shellfish poisoning, which share some common features and are primarily associated with Bivalvia . These shellfish are filter feeders and, therefore, accumulate toxins produced by microscopic algae, such as dinoflagellates and diatoms, and cyanobacteria....
 (the others being neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning

Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning is caused by the consumption of shellfish contaminated by brevetoxins or brevetoxin analogs.Symptoms in humans include vomitting and nausea and a variety of neurologic symptoms such as slurred speech....
, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning
Diarrheal shellfish poisoning

Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning is one of the four recognised symptom types of shellfish poisoning, the others being paralytic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning and amnesic shellfish poisoning....
 and amnesic shellfish poisoning
Amnesic shellfish poisoning

Amnesic shellfish poisoning is a human illness caused by consumption of the marine biotoxin called domoic acid. This toxin is produced naturally by marine diatoms belonging to the genus Pseudo-nitzschia and, when accumulated in high concentrations by shellfish, can then be passed on to humans via consumption of contaminated shellfish....
). All four syndromes share some common features and are primarily associated with bivalve molluscs
Bivalvia

Bivalves are molluscs belonging to the class Bivalvia. They have two-part animal shells, and typically both valves are symmetry along the hinge line....
 (such as mussel
Mussel

The common name mussel is used for members of several different families of clams or bivalve molluscs, from both saltwater and freshwater habitats....
s, clam
Clam

Clam is a word which can be used for all, some, or only a few species of bivalve mollusks; the word is a common name which has no real Taxonomy significance in biology....
s, oyster
Oyster

The common name oyster is used for a number of different groups of bivalve mollusks, most of which live in marine habitats or brackish water....
s and scallop
Scallop

A scallop is a Marine bivalve mollusk of the Family Pectinidae. Scallops are a wiktionary:cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans....
s). These shellfish are filter feeder
Filter feeder

Filter feeders are animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure....
s and, therefore, accumulate toxin
Toxin

A toxin is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms. For a toxic substance not produced by living organisms, "toxicant" is the more appropriate term, and "toxics" is an acceptable plural....
s produced by microscopic algae, such as dinoflagellate
Dinoflagellate

The dinoflagellates are a large group of flagellate protists. Most are marine plankton, but they are common in fresh water habitats as well. Their populations are distributed depending on sea surface temperature, salinity, or depth....
s and diatom
Diatom

Diatoms are a major group of eukaryote algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as Colony in the shape of filaments or ribbons , fans , zigzags , or stellate colonies ....
s, and cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, blue-green bacteria or Cyanophyta, is a phylum of bacteria that obtain their energy through photosynthesis....
. Human toxicity and mortality can occur after ingestion of these animals, but toxicity is also seen in wild animal populations.

Pathophysiology


The toxins responsible for most shellfish poisonings are water-soluble, heat and acid-stable, and ordinary cooking methods do not eliminate the toxins. The main toxin responsible for PSP is principally saxitoxin
Saxitoxin

Saxitoxin is a neurotoxin naturally produced by certain species of marine dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria . The term saxitoxin originates from the butter clam in which it was first recognized....
. Most shellfish only store this toxin for six weeks after a red tide
Red tide

"Red tide" is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom, an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column....
 passes, but some such as butterclams are known to store the toxin for up to two years. Additional toxins are found such as neosaxiton and gonyautoxins I to IV. All of them act primarily on the nervous system.

PSP can be fatal in extreme cases (particularly in those who are already immuno-suppressed). Children are more susceptible. PSP affects those who come into contact with the affected shellfish by ingestion. Ten to thirty minutes after ingestion, symptoms can include nausea
Nausea

Nausea is the sensation of unease and discomfort in the stomach with an urge to vomit....
, vomiting
Vomiting

Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Undesired vomiting may result from many causes, ranging from gastritis or poisoning to brain tumors, or elevated intracranial pressure....
, diarrhea
Diarrhea

In medicine, diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea , is characterized by frequent loose or liquid bowel movements. The spelling of "diarrhea" is an appropriation of the Greek "diarrhoia" meaning "a flowing through." ....
, abdominal pain, and tingling or burning lips, gums, tongue, face, neck, arms, legs, and toes. Shortness of breath, dry mouth, a choking feeling, confused or slurred speech, and lack of coordination are also possible.

PSP in wild marine mammals

PSP has been implicated as a cause of sea otter
Sea Otter

The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 Kilogram , making them the heaviest members of the Mustelidae, but among the smallest marine mammals....
 mortality
Mortality

Mortality is the condition of being mortal, or susceptible to death; the opposite of immortalityIt may also refer to:* Mortality rate, a measure of the number of deaths in a given population...
 and morbidity in Alaska, as one of its primary prey items, the butterclam
Clam

Clam is a word which can be used for all, some, or only a few species of bivalve mollusks; the word is a common name which has no real Taxonomy significance in biology....
, (Saxidonus giganteus), bioaccumulates STX as a chemical defense mechanism. In addition, ingestion of saxitoxin-containing mackerel
Mackerel

Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They occur in all tropical and temperate seas....
 has been implicated in the death of humpback whales.

Additional cases where PSP was suspected as the cause of death in Mediterranean Monk Seal
Mediterranean Monk Seal

The Mediterranean Monk Seal is a pinniped belonging to the Phocidae family: at some 350-450 remaining individuals it is believed to be the world's rarest pinniped and one of the most endangered mammals of the world....
s (Monachus monachus) in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea or Ocean off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia....
 have been questioned due to lack of additional testing to rule out other causes of mortality.

See also


  • Harmful algal bloom
    Harmful algal bloom

    A harmful algal bloom is a dense aggregation of phytoplankton, algae or cyanobacteria in a marine or aquatic environment that causes negative impacts to other organisms via production of natural toxins, mechanical damage to other organisms, or by other means....
  • Cyanotoxin
    Cyanotoxin

    A cyanotoxin is a toxin produced by certain cyanobacteria . When produced during algal blooms , cyanotoxins can poison and even kill animals and humans....
  • Algal bloom
    Algal bloom

    An algal bloom is a rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system. Algal blooms may occur in freshwater as well as marine environments....
     (see "toxic chemicals" in paragraph 3)
  • Ciguatera
    Ciguatera

    Ciguatera is a foodborne illness poisoning in humans caused by eating marine species whose flesh is contaminated with a toxin known as ciguatoxin, which is present in many microorganisms living in tropical waters....
  • Dinoflagellate
    Dinoflagellate

    The dinoflagellates are a large group of flagellate protists. Most are marine plankton, but they are common in fresh water habitats as well. Their populations are distributed depending on sea surface temperature, salinity, or depth....
     (see "neurotoxins" and "red tide" under Ecology and fossils
    Dinoflagellate

    The dinoflagellates are a large group of flagellate protists. Most are marine plankton, but they are common in fresh water habitats as well. Their populations are distributed depending on sea surface temperature, salinity, or depth....
     and see "phosphate" under Cautions
    Dinoflagellate

    The dinoflagellates are a large group of flagellate protists. Most are marine plankton, but they are common in fresh water habitats as well. Their populations are distributed depending on sea surface temperature, salinity, or depth....
    )
  • Red tide
    Red tide

    "Red tide" is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom, an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column....


External links