Tectus niloticus (Tegulidae, Gastropod) as a Novel Vector of Ciguatera Poisoning: Clinical Characterization and Follow-Up of a Mass Poisoning Event in Nuku Hiva Island (French Polynesia)

Type Article
Date 2018-03
Language English
Author(s) Gatti Clemence Mahana Iti1, Lonati DavideORCID2, 3, 4, Darius Helene Taiana1, Zancan Arturo5, Roue MelanieORCID6, Schicchi Azzurra2, 3, 4, Locatelli Carlo AlessandroORCID2, 3, 4, Chinain Mireille1
Affiliation(s) 1 : ILM, EIO, UMR 241, Lab Tox Microalgae, POB 30, F-98713 Tahiti, French Polynesi, France.
2 : IRCCS, Maugeri Hosp, Ist Clin Sci Maugeri, Poison Control Ctr, I-27100 Pavia, Italy.
3 : IRCCS, Maugeri Hosp, Ist Clin Sci Maugeri, Natl Toxicol Informat Ctr,Toxicol Unit, I-27100 Pavia, Italy.
4 : Univ Pavia, I-27100 Pavia, Italy.
5 : IRCCS, Maugeri Hosp, Ist Clin Sci Maugeri, Subacute Care Unit, I-27100 Pavia, Italy.
6 : IRD, EIO, UMR 241, POB 529, F-98713 Tahiti, French Polynesi, France.
Source Toxins (2072-6651) (Mdpi), 2018-03 , Vol. 10 , N. 3 , P. 102 (16p.)
DOI 10.3390/toxins10030102
WOS© Times Cited 26
Note This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health Outreach to Prevention of Aquatic Toxin Exposure
Keyword(s) ciguatera poisoning, Tectus niloticus, ciguatoxins, health hazards, clinical follow-up, neurological exploration, French Polynesia
Abstract

Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is the most prevalent non-bacterial food-borne form of poisoning in French Polynesia, which results from the consumption of coral reef fish naturally contaminated with ciguatoxins produced by dinoflagellates in the genus Gambierdiscus. Since the early 2000s, this French territory has also witnessed the emergence of atypical forms of ciguatera, known as ciguatera shellfish poisoning (CSP), associated with the consumption of marine invertebrates. In June 2014, nine tourists simultaneously developed a major and persistent poisoning syndrome following the consumption of the gastropod Tectus niloticus collected in Anaho, a secluded bay of Nuku Hiva Island (Marquesas Archipelago, French Polynesia). The unusual nature and severity of this event prompted a multidisciplinary investigation in order to characterize the etiology and document the short/long-term health consequences of this mass-poisoning event. This paper presents the results of clinical investigations based on hospital medical records, medical follow-up conducted six and 20 months post-poisoning, including a case description. This study is the first to describe the medical signature of T. niloticus poisoning in French Polynesia and contributed to alerting local authorities about the potential health hazards associated with the consumption of this gastropod, which is highly prized by local communities in Pacific island countries and territories.

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Gatti Clemence Mahana Iti, Lonati Davide, Darius Helene Taiana, Zancan Arturo, Roue Melanie, Schicchi Azzurra, Locatelli Carlo Alessandro, Chinain Mireille (2018). Tectus niloticus (Tegulidae, Gastropod) as a Novel Vector of Ciguatera Poisoning: Clinical Characterization and Follow-Up of a Mass Poisoning Event in Nuku Hiva Island (French Polynesia). Toxins, 10(3), 102 (16p.). Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins10030102 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00660/77228/