Published August 13, 2025
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Global epidemiology of paralytic shellfish poisoning: a systematic search literature review.

Creators

  • 1. Division of Occupational, Environmental, and Climate Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
  • 2. University of California, San Francisco
  • 3. Division of Occupational, Environmental, and Climate Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. Electronic address: Baylin.Bennett@UCSF.edu.
  • 4. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
  • 5. Nutrition and Health Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
  • 6. Emory University
  • 7. Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • 8. University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • 9. University of Exeter Medical School, St. Luke's Campus, Exeter, Devon, UK.
  • 10. University of Exeter
  • 11. Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • 12. California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, CA, USA.
  • 13. Department of Health Policy and Organization, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • 14. Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA.
  • 15. Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Sitka, AK, USA.
  • 16. Shelby Baptist Medical Center, Alabaster, AL, USA.
  • 17. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Science and Communication Centre on Harmful Algae, IOC UNESCO, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • 18. University of Alabama at Birmingham Libraries, Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • 19. Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK, USA.
  • 20. Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
  • 21. University of Pennsylvania

Description

We are in the midst of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-30), which provides a timely opportunity for the epidemiological community to assess the global burden of thalassogenic diseases such as paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). In this epidemiological review, we used systematic search tools to summarise 152 peer-reviewed articles describing human PSP cases. Our analysis revealed that PSP cases have been reported from every inhabited continent; symptoms reported by patients might differ by continent; and exposure sources are not limited to the eponymic shellfish. Furthermore, most cases described lacked demographic details that could aid in a more comprehensive understanding of PSP epidemiology. Overall, this Review highlights PSP as a true global health concern; however, the overall poor quality of available data underscores the need for greater epidemiological attention as an understudied global health challenge.
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