Freezing Technology

8.3.6 Amnexic shellfish poisoning

8.3.6 Amnesic shellfish poisoning(ASP)

 Amnisic shellfishpoisoning [ASP] has only recently been identified [ Todd 1990,   Addison and Slenart 1989].  The intoxication is due to domoic acid, an amino acid produced by the diatom Nitzschia pungens.  The first reported incidence of ASP occurred in the winter of 87/88 in eastern Canada, where, over 150 people were affected and 4 deaths occurred after consumption of cultured blue mussels.

          The symptoms of ASP vary greatly from slight nausea and vomiting to loss of equilibrium and central neural deficit including confusion and memory loss.  The short-term memory loss seems to be permanent in surviving victims, thus the term amnesic shellfish poisoning.