Neurological features after consumption of a variety of neo-caledonian shellfish (Tectus pyramis)

A few days after a seafood meal a patient suffered ataxia and stupor His ex amination revealed a confused patient with cerebellar signs and ocular dist urbances (hypotropia). Blood results, cerebrospinal fluid and brain CT scan were unremarkable. The patient developed a septic shock and died 4 weeks a fter admission. No necropsy was performed. Questioning his family confirmed that he had eaten a shellfish meal a few hours before onset of the digesti ve signs. Trocas (Tectus pyramis) were definitely identified. The clinical picture strongly suggested a seafood poisoning, namely ciguatera. However; no toxicologic assay was performed. To our knowledge, this poisoning has ne ver been reported with trocas. Nevertheless, the feeding habits of trocas w ould suggest similarity with ciguatera poisoning.