title: Food poisoning due to the consumption of red whelks (Neptunea antiqua).
abstract: Two incidents of toxin-type food poisoning in N.E. Scotland associated with the consumption of red whelks (Neptunea antiqua) are described. Four patients developed symptoms within 1 h of consuming whole whelks. These included visual disturbances--double vision and difficulty in focusing--tingling of the fingers, prostration and in one subject nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and ataxia. In all cases recovery was complete in 24 h. Using a newly developed analytical technique the concentration of the causative toxin, tetramine, in the salivary glands of the whelks consumed was estimated at 0.07%, equivalent to a content of 3.75 mg/100 g of the shellfish.
authors.affiliation: Regional Laboratory, City Hospital, Aberdeen.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Mackie
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hobbs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000506:poisoning*; D004590:Electrophoresis, Paper; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008974:Mollusca / Q000032:analysis*; D012606:Scotland; D057096:Shellfish Poisoning
chemical_list: D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds; C010349:tetramethylenedisulfotetramine