Chinain M., Gatti C.M., Roué Mélanie, Darius H.T. (2019). Ciguatera poisoning in French Polynesia : insights into the novel trends of an ancient disease. New Microbes and New Infections, 31 (C), 100565 [6 p.]. ISSN 2052-2975.
Titre du document
Ciguatera poisoning in French Polynesia : insights into the novel trends of an ancient disease
Année de publication
2019
Type de document
Article
Auteurs
Chinain M., Gatti C.M., Roué Mélanie, Darius H.T.
Source
New Microbes and New Infections, 2019,
31 (C), 100565 [6 p.] ISSN 2052-2975
Ciguatera is a non-bacterial seafood poisoning highly prevalent in French Polynesia where it constitutes a major health issue and a major threat to food sustainability and food security for local populations. Ciguatera results from the bioaccumulation in marine food webs of toxins known as ciguatoxins, originating from benthic dinoflagellates in the genera Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa. Ciguatera is characterized by a complex array of gastrointestinal, neurological and cardiovascular symptoms. The effective management of patients is significantly hampered by the occurrence of atypical forms and/or chronic sequelae in some patients, and the lack of both a confirmatory diagnosis test and a specific antidote. In addition, recent findings have outlined the implication of novel species of the causative organisms as well as new vectors, namely marine invertebrates, in ciguatera outbreaks. Another novel trend relates to the geographical expansion of this disease to previously unaffected areas, not only in certain island groups of French Polynesia but also in temperate regions worldwide, as a likely consequence of the effects of climate change.
