Category Archives: PSP

New Zealand – Public health warning for shellfish reduced for West Coast, North Island – PSP Toxins

Posted on September 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MPI

New Zealand Food Safety today reduced a public health warning against collecting shellfish in the Waikato and Taranaki region. The public health warning now extends from Albatross Point south to Oakura Beach and no longer applies to Kawhia and Aotea Harbours. More testing is being undertaken to determine the levels of paralytic shellfish toxins in the affected area.

Routine tests on shellfish samples taken from the Aotea/Kawhia Harbour area have shown levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins are now within the safe limit of 0.8 mg/kg set by New Zealand Food Safety.

See a map of the warning

Mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, scallops, catseyes, kina (sea urchin), and all other bivalve shellfish should not be eaten.

Note, cooking shellfish does not remove the toxin.

Pāua, crab, and crayfish may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins accumulate in the gut. If the gut is not removed, its contents could contaminate the meat during the cooking process.

Symptoms typically appear between 10 minutes and 3 hours after ingestion and may include:

  • numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, and extremities (hands and feet)
  • difficulty swallowing or breathing
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • paralysis and respiratory failure and in severe cases, death.

If anyone becomes ill after eating shellfish from an area where a public health warning has been issued, phone Healthline for advice on 0800 61 11 16, or seek medical attention immediately. You are also advised to contact your nearest public health unit and keep any leftover shellfish in case it can be tested.

Monitoring of toxin levels will continue and any changes will be communicated accordingly. Commercially harvested shellfish – sold in shops and supermarkets, or exported – is subject to strict water and flesh monitoring programmes by MPI to ensure they are safe to eat.

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Posted in Algal Toxin, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Toxin, Lipophilic Marine Biotoxin, Marine Biotoxin, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, MPI, paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP

New Zealand – Public health warning for shellfish extended for West Coast, North Island – PSP – Toxins

Posted on September 2, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MPI

Map of the affected area in the Kawhia Harbour area, West Coast, North Island

New Zealand Food Safety today extended a public health warning against collecting shellfish in the Waikato region and have extended this south to the Taranaki region. The public health warning now applies to the coastline from Papanui Point (south of Raglan), south to Oakura Beach. Paralytic shellfish toxins have been detected at levels above the safe limit set by MPI.

Routine tests on shellfish samples taken from this region have shown levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins above the safe limit of 0.8 mg/kg set by New Zealand Food Safety. Anyone eating shellfish from this area is potentially at risk of illness.

Mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, scallops, catseyes, kina (sea urchin), and all other bivalve shellfish should not be eaten.

Note, cooking shellfish does not remove the toxin.

Pāua, crab, and crayfish may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins accumulate in the gut. If the gut is not removed, its contents could contaminate the meat during the cooking process.

Symptoms typically appear between 10 minutes and 3 hours after ingestion and may include:

  • numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, and extremities (hands and feet)
  • difficulty swallowing or breathing
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • paralysis and respiratory failure and in severe cases, death.

If anyone becomes ill after eating shellfish from an area where a public health warning has been issued, phone Healthline for advice on 0800 61 11 16, or seek medical attention immediately. You are also advised to contact your nearest public health unit and keep any leftover shellfish in case it can be tested.

Monitoring of toxin levels will continue and any changes will be communicated accordingly. Commercially harvested shellfish – sold in shops and supermarkets, or exported – is subject to strict water and flesh monitoring programmes by MPI to ensure they are safe to eat.

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Posted in Algal Toxin, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Marine Biotoxin, MPI, paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP, Toxin

New Zealand – North Island warning Kawhia Harbour area, West Coast -PSP

Posted on August 17, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MPI

North Island warning

Kawhia Harbour area, West Coast

Reason for alert Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP)
Date warning issued 17 August 2022

Media release
Affected area From Albatross Point across to Papanui Point, Including Kahwia and Aotearoa Harbours, West Coast North Island.
Shellfish affected Mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, scallops, catseyes, kina (sea urchin) and all other bivalve shellfish.

Note, cooking shellfish does not remove the toxin.

Pāua, crab and crayfish may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins accumulate in the gut. If the gut is not removed its contents could contaminate the meat during the cooking process.
Symptoms Symptoms typically appear between 10 minutes and 3 hours after ingestion and may include:

  • numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, and extremities (hands and feet)
  • difficulty swallowing or breathing
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • paralysis and respiratory failure and in severe cases, death.
Other information Paralytic shellfish toxins have been detected in shellfish at levels over the safe limit of 0.8mg/kg set by MPI. Ongoing testing will continue and any changes will be communicated accordingly.

Map of affected area

Map of the affected area in the Kawhia Harbour area, West Coast, North Island
Map of the affected area Kawhia Harbour area, West Coast

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Posted in Algal Toxin, food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Lipophilic Marine Biotoxin, Marine Biotoxin, paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP, Toxin

Guatemala – Four deaths in Guatemala linked to contaminated shellfish – Saitoxin – PSP

Posted on May 24, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

More than 30 people have fallen sick and four have died in Guatemala after eating shellfish.

The National Commission for the Surveillance and Control of Red Tide in Guatemala has extended an alert because of the presence of saxitoxins above the limits on the coasts of Tiquisate, Escuintla, Retalhuleu and San Marcos.

Public health officials said that since the end of April, 34 people had been affected and three children and one adult had died.

Authorities urged the public not to eat bivalve mollusks such as mussels, clams and oysters.

A warning was issued earlier this month after monitoring and analysis detected high concentrations of saxitoxins above the limits.

Saxitoxin is a toxin responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Harmful algal blooms are often called red tides.

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Posted in Algal Toxin, Biotoxin, food contamination, food death, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Lipophilic Marine Biotoxin, Marine Biotoxin, paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP, Saitoxin

New Zealand – Public health warning for shellfish for entire Pelorus Sound area, Marlborough Sounds – PSP

Posted on May 4, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MPI

Map of the affected area to the entire Pelorus Sound area, Marlborough Sounds

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) today issued an extension to the public health warning advising the public not to collect or consume shellfish harvested from Crail Bay in Marlborough Sounds. The extension now applies to the entire Pelorus Sound area including its arms to the east and west, up to a line at the entrance from Paparoa to Culdaff Point.

Routine tests on shellfish samples taken from this region have shown levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins above the safe limit of 0.8 mg/kg set by MPI. Anyone eating shellfish from this area is potentially at risk of illness.

Mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, scallops, catseyes, kina (sea urchin) and all other bivalve shellfish should not be eaten.

Note, cooking shellfish does not remove the toxin.

Pāua, crab and crayfish may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins accumulate in the gut. If the gut is not removed, its contents could contaminate the meat during the cooking process.

Symptoms typically appear between 10 minutes and 3 hours after ingestion and may include:

  • numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, and extremities (hands and feet)
  • difficulty swallowing or breathing
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • paralysis and respiratory failure and in severe cases, death.

If anyone becomes ill after eating shellfish from an area where a public health warning has been issued, phone Healthline for advice on 0800 61 11 16, or seek medical attention immediately. You are also advised to contact your nearest public health unit and keep any leftover shellfish in case it can be tested.

Monitoring of toxin levels will continue and any changes will be communicated accordingly. Commercially harvested shellfish – sold in shops and supermarkets, or exported – is subject to strict water and flesh monitoring programmes by MPI to ensure they are safe to eat.

Leave a comment

Posted in Algal Toxin, food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Marine Biotoxin, paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP, Toxin

New Zealand – Public health warning for shellfish for all of Crail Bay, Marlborough Sounds – Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins

Posted on April 28, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MPI

Map of the affected area all of Crail Bay, Marlborough Sounds

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) today issued a public health warning advising the public not to collect or consume shellfish harvested from all of Crail Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.

Routine tests on shellfish samples taken from this region have shown levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins above the safe limit of 0.8 mg/kg set by MPI. Anyone eating shellfish from this area is potentially at risk of illness.

Mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, scallops, catseyes, kina (sea urchin) and all other bivalve shellfish should not be eaten.

Note, cooking shellfish does not remove the toxin.

Pāua, crab and crayfish may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins accumulate in the gut. If the gut is not removed, its contents could contaminate the meat during the cooking process.

Symptoms typically appear between 10 minutes and 3 hours after ingestion and may include:

  • numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, and extremities (hands and feet)
  • difficulty swallowing or breathing
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • paralysis and respiratory failure and in severe cases, death.

If anyone becomes ill after eating shellfish from an area where a public health warning has been issued, phone Healthline for advice on 0800 61 11 16, or seek medical attention immediately. You are also advised to contact your nearest public health unit and keep any leftover shellfish in case it can be tested.

Monitoring of toxin levels will continue and any changes will be communicated accordingly. Commercially harvested shellfish – sold in shops and supermarkets, or exported – is subject to strict water and flesh monitoring programmes by MPI to ensure they are safe to eat.

Find out more

Read the signs in the affected area.

Shellfish biotoxin alerts

Subscribe to shellfish biotoxins to receive email alerts

Collecting shellfish and keeping them safe [PDF, 1.4 MB]

Causes and symptoms of toxic shellfish poisoning

About toxic algal blooms

Food safety for seafood gatherers booklet [PDF, 688 KB]

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Posted in Algal Toxin, Food Toxin, Lipophilic Marine Biotoxin, Marine Biotoxin, paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP, Toxin

USA – Alaska has among the nation’s highest rates of paralytic shellfish poisoning, but reported incidents are declining

Posted on April 25, 2022 by | Leave a comment

ADN

Over the last decade, Alaska has reported fewer cases of a serious condition caused by consuming contaminated shellfish than in previous years.

But health officials say Alaskans who self-harvest shellfish should still be aware of the risks of paralytic shellfish poisoning.

Katherine Newell, an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who is assigned to Alaska’s Division of Public Health, helped put together a new state report tracking cases of PSP in Alaska between 1993 and 2021.

There have been 132 reports of the poisoning in Alaska during that time, including five fatal cases. About 25% of those cases occurred in or near Kodiak, 20% were in Juneau and 14% occurred in Ketchikan, the report found.

The condition, also known as PSP, is a foodborne illness caused by neurotoxins known as saxitoxins, which are produced by harmful algal blooms that shellfish sometimes take into their systems while filter feeding, Newell explained.

When a human ingests the contaminated shellfish, it can be “pretty serious, and sometimes fatal,” Newell said. “It’s a reportable condition in Alaska because of how serious it is.”

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Posted in Algal Toxin, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, food safety training, Food Temperature Abuse, Food Testing, Food Toxin, paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP

New Zealand – Public health warning about shellfish in the Orewa and Warkworth area, North Island – PSP Toxins

Posted on January 28, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MPI

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) today issued a public health warning against collecting shellfish from the Orewa and Warkworth area. The warning extends from Takatu Point on the Tāwharanui Peninsula, south to Huaroa Point on the Whangaparoa Peninsula. The warning includes Mahurangi Harbour, Kawau Island and the smaller islands west of Kawau Island.

Routine tests on shellfish samples taken from Mahurangi Harbour have shown levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins above the safe limit of 0.8 mg/kg set by MPI. Anyone eating shellfish from this area is potentially at risk of illness.

See a map of the warning

Mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, scallops, catseyes, kina (sea urchin) and all other bivalve shellfish should not be eaten.

Note, cooking shellfish does not remove the toxin.

Pāua, crab and crayfish may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins accumulate in the gut. If the gut is not removed its contents could contaminate the meat during the cooking process.

Symptoms typically appear between 10 minutes and 3 hours after ingestion and may include:

  • numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, and extremities (hands and feet)
  • difficulty swallowing or breathing
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • paralysis and respiratory failure and in severe cases, death.

If anyone becomes ill after eating shellfish from an area where a public health warning has been issued, freephone Healthline for advice on 0800 61 11 16, or seek medical attention immediately. You are also advised to contact your nearest public health unit and keep any leftover shellfish in case it can be tested.

Monitoring of toxin levels will continue and any changes will be communicated accordingly. Commercially harvested shellfish – sold in shops and supermarkets, or exported – is subject to strict water and flesh monitoring programmes by MPI to ensure they are safe to eat. There is no commercial harvesting of shellfish in the affected area.

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Posted in Algal Toxin, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Marine Biotoxin, MPI, paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP, shellfish toxin, Toxin

Ireland – Shellfish Warning for Castlemaine Production Area – PSP – Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning

Posted on July 14, 2021 by | Leave a comment

FSAI

Following the detection of significant levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in shellfish samples from the Castlemaine production area in the South West of Ireland, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, in conjunction with, the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, the Health Service Executive and the Marine Institute, is warning people not to collect or take shellfish from this area at this time. Food businesses and the public are reminded to buy oysters, mussels and other shellfish from reputable suppliers only.

PSP is caused by a naturally occurring toxin associated with certain algal blooms in Irish coastal waters. The levels of the toxin associated with PSP can increase rapidly in shellfish, where they feed on these algal blooms. These toxins do not harm the shellfish but at sufficiently high levels, PSP can be fatal in humans, when contaminated shellfish are eaten. The production area is now closed and is being monitored by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority and the Marine Institute. The results from this monitoring will be published in the Marine Institute’s Harmful Algal Bloom Shellfish Monitoring Programme.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP

New Zealand – Shellfish biotoxin alerts – Hawkes Bay

Posted on June 17, 2021 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

North Island warnings

Hawke’s Bay

Reason for alert Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP)

Check the symptoms of PSP
Date warning issued 16 June 2021

Media release
Affected area From the Mohaka River mouth, south to Cape Kidnappers.
Shellfish affected Mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, scallops, catseyes, kina (sea urchin), and all other bivalve shellfish.

Note, cooking shellfish does NOT remove the toxin.

Pāua, crab, and crayfish may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins accumulate in the gut. If the gut is not removed its contents could contaminate the meat during the cooking process.
Symptoms Symptoms typically appear between 10 minutes and 3 hours after ingestion and may include:

  • numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, and extremities (hands and feet)
  • difficulty swallowing or breathing
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • paralysis and respiratory failure, and in severe cases, death.
Other information Paralytic shellfish toxins have been detected in shellfish from Pania Reef at levels over the safe limit of 0.8mg/kg set by MPI. Ongoing testing will continue and any changes will be communicated accordingly.

Map of affected area

Map showing the affected area

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Posted in Algal Toxin, Biotoxin, food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Marine Biotoxin, paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP, Toxin