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Food poisoning due to the consumption of red whelks (Neptunea antiqua)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

T. M. S. Reid ,
I. M. Gould ,
I. M. Mackie ,
A. H. Ritchie  and
G. Hobbs
T. M. S. Reid
Affiliation:
Regional Laboratory, City Hospital, Urquhart Road, Aberdeen AB9 8AU
I. M. Gould
Affiliation:
Regional Laboratory, City Hospital, Urquhart Road, Aberdeen AB9 8AU
I. M. Mackie
Affiliation:
Torry Research Station, Abbey Road, Aberdeen
A. H. Ritchie
Affiliation:
Torry Research Station, Abbey Road, Aberdeen
G. Hobbs
Affiliation:
Torry Research Station, Abbey Road, Aberdeen
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Summary

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Two incidents of toxin-type food poisoning in N.E. Scotland associated with the consumption of red whelks (Neptunea antiqua) are described. Four patients developed symptoms within 1 h of consuming whole whelks. These included visual distrubances—double vision and difficulty in focusing-ingling of the fingers, prostration and in one subject nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and ataxia. In all cases recovery was complete in 24 h. Using a newly developed analytical technique the concentration of the causative toxin, tetramine, in the salivary glands of the whelks consumed was estimated at 0.07%, equivalent to a content of 3.75mg/100g of the shellfish.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 101 , Issue 2 , October 1988 , pp. 419 - 423
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

References

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