![]() Their symptoms included some degree of respiratory involvement, myalgias, low-grade fevers, and occasionally gastrointestinal symptoms. A case series of six patients with inhalational exposure to PTX aerosolized from Palythoa corals is described. Reports of inhalational exposure to PTX are uncommon. Only 23 cases have been reported in the USA, including two recent cases in New York City. PTX is primarily present in soft corals or in dinoflagellates, and it can contaminate crustaceans and other fish as it bioaccumulates up the food chain. PTX is the suspected agent in Haff disease, in which rhabdomyolysis occurs within 24 h of eating contaminated fish such as buffalo fish. Symptoms after PTX exposure include: myalgias, weakness and neuromuscular dysfunction, wheezing or respiratory distress possibly due to muscular contraction, delayed hemolysis, and cardiac conduction abnormalities. Īlthough rare, reports of human exposure from consumption of PTX have described significant morbidity and mortality. Another common marine toxin is stonustoxin from stonefish, with an intravenous LD 50 of 17 mcg/kg. Thus, while tetrodotoxin is more commonly recognized as a dangerous marine toxin, it is only about 1/60th as potent a toxin as is PTX. PTX has an intravenous LD 50 in mice of 0.15 mcg/kg, compared to tetrodotoxin, which has an intravenous LD 50 of 8.7 mcg/kg in mice.
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