G. Angibaud et al., Neurological features after consumption of a variety of neo-caledonian shellfish (Tectus pyramis), REV NEUROL, 156(1), 2000, pp. 65-66
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.