title: Mild ciguatera poisoning: Case reports with neurophysiological evaluations.
abstract: Ciguatera poisoning causes mainly gastrointestinal and neurological effects of variable severity. However, symptoms of peripheral neuropathy with paresthesias and paradoxical disturbance of thermal sensation are the hallmark. Electrophysiological studies are often normal, except in severe cases. We report four people who developed mild ciguatera poisoning after barracuda ingestion. Electrophysiological studies documented normocalcemic latent tetany. These findings are consistent with ciguatoxin's mechanism of toxicity, which involves inactivation of voltage-gated Na(+) channels and eventually increases nerve membrane excitability.
authors.affiliation: Toxicology Unit, IRCCS Maugeri Foundation Medical Center, Via Ferrata, 8, 27100 Pavia, Italy. rbutera@fsm.it
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Butera
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Prockop
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buonocore
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Locatelli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gandini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Manzo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D036841:Ciguatera Poisoning; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D013746:Tetany / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors