Screening of Human Phycotoxin Poisoning Symptoms in Coastal Communities of Nigeria: Socio-Economic Consideration of Harmful Algal Blooms

Abstract

A screening of human phycotoxin poisoning symptoms was done in the coastal communities of Nigeria, every quarter for one year, using structured questionnaires. A multi-stage sampling technique consisting of cluster, snowballing, convenience purposive and random sampling was applied in the study. Based on the responses, a total of 17 Harmful algal toxin-related poisoning symptoms were recorded from respondents, who experienced these symptoms from seafood consumption. The symptoms were Balance difficulty, Breathing difficulty, Burning sensation, Chills, Confusion, Diarrhea, Dizziness, Body itching, Headache, Memory loss, Mouth tingling, Muscle pain, Nausea, Rashes, Abdominal pain, Tiredness and Vomiting. These could be grouped into five categories of diseases namely, Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, Neurological, Dermatological, and Musculo-Skeletal symptoms. The most commonly experienced symptoms were vomiting (24%), mouth tingling (21%), Nausea (14%), diarrhea (11%), headache (10%), tiredness (9%) and body itching (8%) and the least were muscle pain, rashes, confusion, chills, dizziness, balance difficulty burning sensation, breathing difficulty and abdominal pain. Statistical analyses revealed a nexus and significant relationship between visible symptoms and: seafood; season

Natural toxins and One Health: a review

“…Contamination of seafoods with phycotoxins and the resultant effects on human health is a worldwide problem [ 186 ]. Human and farm animal intoxications caused by phycotoxins associated with gastrointestinal and hepatic disorders with reported cases of mortality [ 176 ].…”

“… There is no established systematic approach to removing most of the toxins in our environment. [ 97 , 171 , 176 , 186 , 203 , 206 ]. …”