The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) received a referral from the Centre for Health Protection in April 2023 of a suspected case of diarrhoetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) presented with diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain within an hour after consuming venus clams from a restaurant. This article will give a brief introduction on shellfish poisoning.
What is Shellfish Poisoning?
Shellfish poisoning is caused by a group of toxins, known as shellfish toxins, produced by certain species of algae. When shellfish eat toxins producing algae, the toxins can accumulate in their tissue. Consumption of shellfish with shellfish toxins by humans can cause a variety of gastrointestinal and neurological illnesses, known as shellfish poisoning. Examples of shellfish that have been involved in shellfish poisoning include mussels, clams, oysters, scallops and geoducks.
Many shellfish toxins have been described around the world; they could cause different types of shellfish poisoning
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