Diarrheal shellfish poisoning
Encyclopedia
Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) is one of the four recognized symptom types of shellfish poisoning
, the others being paralytic shellfish poisoning
, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
and amnesic shellfish poisoning
.
As the name suggests, this syndrome manifests itself as diarrhea
, although nausea
, vomiting and cramps are all common, too.
DSP and its symptoms usually set in within about half an hour of ingesting infected shellfish, and last for about one day. A recent case in France, though, with 20 people consuming oysters manifested itself after 36 hours. The causative poison is okadaic acid
, which inhibits intestinal cellular de-phosphorylation. This causes the cells to become very permeable to water and causes profuse diarrhea with a risk of dehydration. As no life-threatening symptoms generally emerge from this, no fatalities from DSP have ever been recorded.
Shellfish poisoning
There are four syndromes called shellfish poisoning, which share some common features and are primarily associated with bivalve molluscs...
, the others being paralytic shellfish poisoning
Paralytic shellfish poisoning
Paralytic shellfish poisoning is one of the four recognized syndromes of shellfish poisoning, which share some common features and are primarily associated with bivalve mollusks . These shellfish are filter feeders and, therefore, accumulate toxins produced by microscopic algae, such as...
, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning is caused by the consumption of shellfish contaminated by breve-toxins or brevetoxin analogs.Symptoms in humans include vomiting and nausea and a variety of neurological symptoms such as slurred speech...
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 the species...
.
As the name suggests, this syndrome manifests itself as diarrhea
Diarrhea
Diarrhea , also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and...
, although nausea
Nausea
Nausea , is a sensation of unease and discomfort in the upper stomach with an involuntary urge to vomit. It often, but not always, precedes vomiting...
, vomiting and cramps are all common, too.
DSP and its symptoms usually set in within about half an hour of ingesting infected shellfish, and last for about one day. A recent case in France, though, with 20 people consuming oysters manifested itself after 36 hours. The causative poison is okadaic acid
Okadaic acid
Okadaic acid is a toxin that accumulates in bivalves and causes diarrheal shellfish poisoning. The molecular formula of okadaic acid, which is a derivative of a C38 fatty acid, is C44H68O13.-History:...
, which inhibits intestinal cellular de-phosphorylation. This causes the cells to become very permeable to water and causes profuse diarrhea with a risk of dehydration. As no life-threatening symptoms generally emerge from this, no fatalities from DSP have ever been recorded.