Diarrheic shellfish poisoning due to toxic mussel consumption: The first recorded outbreak in Greece

During the week of 14-20 January 2000, 120 people visited the Emergency Departments of hospitals in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, complaining of acute gastrointestinal illness after eating mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis). The symptoms indicated diarrhoeic shellfish poisoning, and the toxicity o...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Food additives and contaminants 2007-03, Vol.24 (3), p.297-305
Main Authors: Economou, V, Papadopoulou, C, Brett, M, Kansouzidou, A, Charalabopoulos, K, Filioussis, G, Seferiadis, K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
algal toxins
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Biological Assay - methods
Bivalvia - chemistry
Diarrhea - epidemiology
Diarrhea - etiology
Diarrheic shellfish poisoning
diarrhetic shellfish poisoning
Dinophysis
Dinophysis acuminata
Disease Outbreaks
Eukaryota - isolation & purification
Fish and seafood industries
Food Contamination - analysis
Food industries
food intoxication
food pathogens
Foodborne Diseases - epidemiology
Foodborne Diseases - etiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Greece
Greece - epidemiology
Humans
Hygiene and safety
Marine Toxins - analysis
Marine Toxins - toxicity
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
mussels
Mytilus galloprovincialis
okadaic acid
outbreak
pandemic
phycotoxins
shellfish
Shellfish Poisoning
sporadic cases
toxicity
water pollution
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:During the week of 14-20 January 2000, 120 people visited the Emergency Departments of hospitals in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, complaining of acute gastrointestinal illness after eating mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis). The symptoms indicated diarrhoeic shellfish poisoning, and the toxicity of mussels harvested from Thermaikos Gulf in Thessaloniki during the outbreak was investigated using mouse bioassays. The bioassays revealed toxicity to mice by the mussel samples; while high numbers of toxic algae Dinophysis acuminata were identified in water samples from Thermaikos Gulf. The harvesting of mussels was immediately suspended and a monitoring programme for algal blooms was established from then onwards. During a follow-up of the mussels' toxicity from January 2000 to January 2005, two more mussel samples were found positive for diarrheic shellfish poisoning: one harvested in March 2001 from the area of the outbreak (Thermaikos Gulf) and the other harvested in January 2001 from Amvrakikos Gulf in north-western Greece. However, no sporadic cases or outbreaks were reported during this period.
ISSN:0265-203X
1464-5122
DOI:10.1080/02652030601053139