A disease resulting from the consumption of shellfish that have ingested toxic algae. Shellfish poisoning manifests itself in two forms: paralytic shellfish poisoning and diarrheic shellfish poisoning.
Shellfish may be the cause of typhoid fever when contaminated by sewage. Paralytic shellfish poisoning is caused by saxotoxin, which is present in certain planktons which, under unusual conditions, multiply rapidly, giving rise to what are known as ‘red tides’. The toxin then accumulates in mussels, cockles and scallops which feed by filtering plankton. The symptoms are loss of feeling in the hands, tingling of the tongue, weakness of the arms and legs, and difficulty in breathing.
Poisoning produced when humans ingest shellfish that have fed on plankton during a red tide. There are several recognized syndromes that may result, including amnesic shellfish poisoning (marked by permanent loss of short-term memory), diarrheal shellfish poisoning, and paralytic shellfish poisoning.