Abstract
Pufferfish poisoning has rarely been reported in the southwestern Indian Ocean and in the French overseas territories. In Reunion Island, the last notified documented case occurred in 1989 and people are no longer aware of the potential toxicity of pufferfish. We report a family hospitalized for a tetrodotoxin poisoning following the consumption of Lagocephalus sceleratus caught on the coast of Reunion Island in September 2013. Two patients presenting acute vital functions failures were admitted in an ICU. Ten people were admitted simultaneously to the emergency department after consuming L. sceleratus with signs of toxicity appearing within 2 hours. Treatment was supportive, but included the need for mechanical ventilation for two patients. All those affected had complete and uneventful recoveries within a few days. The fish consumed was identified as L. sceleratus, a species known to contain tetrodotoxin. The diagnosis of tetrodotoxin poisoning was suggested by typical clinical manifestations together with the history of very recent consumption of tetrodotoxin-containing fish. Tetrodotoxin was later detected at high levels in food remnants. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no documented case series of tetrodotoxin poisoning reported from Reunion Island for the last 25 years and from the entire Indian Ocean area since 1998. Pufferfish intoxication is one of the most common causes of poisoning among people in coastal regions of Asia but it has also recently been reported in areas where it was previously unknown, particularly along the Mediterranean shores and in Spain. Public health education in French overseas territories and along the Mediterranean shores should be adapted to include increased awareness of the danger of consuming pufferfish. Health teams must be aware of such clinical presentations.
Résumé
Les intoxications par les tétrodons ont été rarement rapportées dans le sud-ouest de l’océan Indien et les territoires français d’outremer. À La Réunion, le dernier cas documenté remonte à 1989 et beaucoup de Réunionnais ne connaissent plus la toxicité des tétrodons. Nous rapportons le cas d’une intoxication familiale à la suite de la consommation d’un tétrodon (Lagocephalus sceleratus) pêché dans les eaux réunionnaises en septembre 2013. Dix personnes ont été hospitalisées en même temps deux heures après avoir consommé du L. sceleratus. Deux personnes âgées présentant des défaillances d’organes ont dû être admises en réanimation pour ventilation mécanique. Tous les patients ont parfaitement récupéré en quelques jours. L’intoxication par L. sceleratus a été suspectée d’après les signes cliniques, puis confirmée par la photographie du poisson prise par le pêcheur. La tétrodotoxine a été isolée à d’importantes concentrations dans les restes alimentaires. À notre connaissance, il n’y avait pas eu de cas documenté d’intoxication à la tétrodotoxine depuis 25 ans à La Réunion et depuis 1998 dans l’océan Indien. Ce type d’intoxication est fréquent en Asie, mais a également été récemment rapporté en Méditerranée (migration par le canal de Suez) et en Espagne, sur la côte Atlantique. L’information des populations et des personnels soignants de l’outremer français doit être renforcée, ainsi que dans les pays méditerranéens.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ababou A, Mosadik A, Squali J, et al (2000) Intoxication par le poisson coffre. Ann Fr Anesth Reanim 19(3):188–190
Awada A, Chalhoub V, Awada L, Yazbeck P (2010) Coma profond aréactif réversible après intoxication par des abats d’un poisson méditerranéen. Rev Neurol (Paris) 166(3):337–340
Bañón R, Santás V (2011) First record of Lagocephalus laevigatus (Tetraodontiformes, Tetraodontidae) from Galician waters (northwest Spain), a northernmost occurrence in the north-east Atlantic Ocean. J Fish Biol 78(5):1574–1578
Beköz AB, Beköz S, Yilmaz E, Tüzün S, Beköz U (2013) Consequences of the increasing prevalence of the poisonous Lagocephalus sceleratus in southern Turkey. Emerg Med J 30(11):954–955
Bentur Y, Ashkar J, Lurie Y, et al (2008) Lessepsian migration and tetrodotoxin poisoning due to Lagocephalus sceleratus in the eastern Mediterranean. Toxicon 52(8):964–968
Chopra SA (1967) A case of fatal puffer-fish poisoning in a Zanzibari fisherman. East Afr Med J 44(12):493–496
Chowdhury FR, Nazmul Ahasan HA, Mamunur Rashid AK, et al (2007) Tetrodotoxin poisoning: a clinical analysis, role of neostigmine and short-term outcome of 53 cases. Singapore Med J 48(9):830–833
Fernández-Fígares M, Fernández V, Postigo MJ, Feron P (2013) Acute paralysis after seafood ingestion. Neurophysiol Clin 43(5–6): 299–302
Field J. Puffer fish poisoning (1998) J Accid Emerg Med 15(5):334–336
Hommel D, Hulin A, SaignaVong S, Desbordes JM (1992) Intoxication par le poisson-coffre (Tétrodotoxine): à propos d’une intoxication familiale. Méd Afr Noire 39(2):146–148
Hwang D.F, Noguchi T (2007) Tetrodotoxin poisoning. Advances In Food and Nutrition Research, 52:141–236
Islam QT, Razzak MA, Islam MA, et al (2011) Puffer fish poisoning in Bangladesh: clinical and toxicological results from large outbreaks in 2008. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 105(2):74–80
Katikou P, Georgantelis D, Sinouris N, et al (2009) First report on toxicity assessment of the Lessepsian migrant pufferfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) from European waters (Aegean Sea, Greece). Toxicon 54(1):50–55
Narahashi T (2008) Tetrodotoxin: a brief history. Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci 84(5):147–154
Quod JP, Prunaux O, Guignard A (1990) Les empoisonnements par poissons tropicaux à La Réunion: synthèse et perspectives. Revue de Médecine Vétérinaire 141(12):1005–1009
Ravaonindrina N, Andriamaso TH, Rasolofonirina N (2001) Intoxication après consommation de poisson globe à Madagascar: à propos de 4 cas. Arch Inst Pasteur Madagascar 67(1–2):61–64
Villa AF, Chataigner D, Arakawa O, et al (2010) Familial tetrodotoxin poisoning in French Guiana. Clin Tox (Phila) 48(3):310
Yotsu M, Yamazaki T, Meguro Y, et al (1987) Production of tetrodotoxin and its derivatives by Pseudomonas sp. isolated from the skin of a pufferfish. Toxicon 25(2):225–228
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Puech, B., Batsalle, B., Roget, P. et al. Family tetrodotoxin poisoning in Reunion Island (Southwest Indian Ocean) following the consumption of Lagocephalus sceleratus (Pufferfish). Bull. Soc. Pathol. Exot. 107, 79–84 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13149-014-0340-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13149-014-0340-2
Keywords
- Tetrodotoxin
- Pufferfish
- Lagocephalus sceleratus
- Intensive care
- Fish poisoning
- Indian Ocean
- Reunion Island