The food safety authorities, along with the doctors at Vizhinjam, have pointed to the possibility that the seafood, which led to the deaths of two people and four others hospitalised, was contaminated by a naturally occurring and extremely potent marine neurotoxin, which is possibly tetrodotoxin, or TTX. The family members consumed seafood from a restaurant on the night of February 16, and two died within hours.
Even though food poisoning is often associated with stomach infections and dehydration, toxin-related seafood illness can affect the nervous system and escalate rapidly if not treated in time. Health authorities are examining whether the incident may be linked to naturally occurring marine toxins - substances that cannot be destroyed by normal cooking methods.
According to news reports, there are more people who have taken ill, all of whom had eaten at the same restaurant on the same day. The authorities suspect that ciguatoxin had been recently detected in some samples of red snapper (Chempalli) fish sourced from the Tamil Nadu coast.
A few types of fish and shellfish accumulate toxins that are produced by microscopic algae in seawater. These toxins can lead to neurotoxic food poisoning, which affects the brain and nerves rather than just the digestive system. A few common forms of toxin-related seafood poisoning include:
Neurotoxin-related seafood poisoning often begins with typical food poisoning symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. However, neurological symptoms soon follow, most of which include:
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Most of the toxins in seafood are usually linked to harmful algal blooms, also known as the “red tides". During these events, shellfish and certain fish accumulate toxins without appearing spoilt. The seafood may look, smell, and taste normal.
Improper refrigeration can also lead to toxin buildup in fish like tuna and mackerel, resulting in histamine poisoning, which mostly mimics allergic reactions with flushing, rash, and palpitations.
Doctors say that while there is no universal antidote for most marine toxins, treatment usually focuses on:
Most patients recover with prompt medical attention, but delays can be extremely dangerous and fatal.
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