An outbreak of diarrhoeic shellfish poisoning in Antwerp, Belgium

K De Schrijver; I Maes; L De Man; J Michelet

doi:10.2807/esm.07.10.00363-en

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An outbreak of diarrhoeic shellfish poisoning in Antwerp, Belgium
K De Schrijver¹ , I Maes¹ , L De Man² , J Michelet³
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Affiliations: ¹ Gezondheidsinspectie Copernicuslaan 1 Antwerpen, Belgium ² Algemene Eetwarensinspectie Italiëlei, Antwerpen, Belgium ³ IPH , Reference laboratory for biotoxins, Juliette Wuytsmanstaat, Brussels, Belgium

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Citation style for this article: De Schrijver K, Maes I, De Man L, Michelet J. An outbreak of diarrhoeic shellfish poisoning in Antwerp, Belgium. Euro Surveill. 2002;7(10):pii=363. https://doi.org/10.2807/esm.07.10.00363-en

Abstract

In Antwerp, Belgium, 403 cases of diarrhoeic shellfish poisoning were reported after consumption of blue mussels. Symptoms included diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and nausea. The analysis of faecal specimens from patients allowed diagnosis exclusions for bacteria and viruses. Mouse-assays revealed the presence of biotoxins specific of dinoflagellates, which were identified and quantified by LC-MS. The mussels were imported from Denmark, and were part of a batch presenting high concentrations of okadaic acid above the regulatory limits.