No abstract

This investigation is aimed at providing a baseline survey of the current status of the occurrence and spatio-temporal distribution of amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) and paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in the Nigerian coast, Gulf of Guinea. The study applied the Jellett Rapid Test technique to algal samples collected from 8 states of South-south (SS) and Southwest (SW) zones of coastal Nigeria, spanning the Bight of Bonny to the Bight of Benin, in the Gulf of Guinea, during the rainy and dry seasons, to screen for the presence of the human syndromes of ASP and PSP produced by domoic acid and saxitoxin, respectively. Classified as low, medium, high and highest, various levels of these syndromes were detected across the length of the Nigerian coast. Comparatively, the SW region had more syndromes (PSP and ASP) (64%) than the SS (36%) region of Nigerian coast. The prevalence of PSP (68%) was more than ASP (31%) in both zones with rainy season also recording higher (27%) ASP and PSP for SW than SS (12%) zone. Seasonal consideration revealed that more syndromes (ASP and PSP) were recorded in the rainy season compared to the dry season. With the confirmed presence, spatial and temporal distribution of ASP and PSP in the coastal waters of Nigeria, the need for regular monitoring of algal syndromes and toxins screening is advocated.

A screening of human phycotoxin poisoning symptoms was done in the coastal communities of Nigeria, every quarter for one year, using structured questionnaires. A multi-stage sampling technique consisting of cluster, snowballing, convenience purposive and random sampling was applied in the study. Based on the responses, a total of 17 Harmful algal toxin-related poisoning symptoms were recorded from respondents, who experienced these symptoms from seafood consumption. The symptoms were Balance difficulty, Breathing difficulty, Burning sensation, Chills, Confusion, Diarrhea, Dizziness, Body itching, Headache, Memory loss, Mouth tingling, Muscle pain, Nausea, Rashes, Abdominal pain, Tiredness and Vomiting. These could be grouped into five categories of diseases namely, Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, Neurological, Dermatological, and Musculo-Skeletal symptoms. The most commonly experienced symptoms were vomiting (24%), mouth tingling (21%), Nausea (14%), diarrhea (11%), headache (10%), tiredness (9%) and body itching (8%) and the least were muscle pain, rashes, confusion, chills, dizziness, balance difficulty burning sensation, breathing difficulty and abdominal pain. Statistical analyses revealed a nexus and significant relationship between visible symptoms and: seafood; season