↓ Skip to main content

Paralytic shellfish poisonings resulting from an algal bloom in Nicaragua

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Research Notes, March 2015
Altmetric Badge

About this Attention Score

  • Above-average Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (56th percentile)
  • Above-average Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (58th percentile)

Mentioned by

policy
1 policy source

Citations

dimensions_citation
23 Dimensions

Readers on

mendeley
47 Mendeley
You are seeing a free-to-access but limited selection of the activity Altmetric has collected about this research output. Click here to find out more.
Title
Paralytic shellfish poisonings resulting from an algal bloom in Nicaragua
Published in
BMC Research Notes, March 2015
DOI 10.1186/s13104-015-1012-4
Pubmed ID
Authors

Luis Callejas, Ana Cristian Melendez Darce, Juan Jose Amador, Laura Conklin, Nicholas Gaffga, Helen Schurz Rogers, Stacey DeGrasse, Sherwood Hall, Marie Earley, Joanne Mei, Carol Rubin, Sylvain Aldighieri, Lorraine C Backer, Eduardo Azziz-Baumgartner

Abstract

During an October 2005 algal bloom (i.e., a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae) off the coast of Nicaragua, 45 people developed symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) and one person died. PSP in humans is caused by ingestion of saxitoxin, which is a neurotoxin often associated with shellfish contaminated by algal blooms. To explore the relationship between the algal bloom and human illnesses, we performed a case-control study of residents living in a coastal island. We administered a standardized clinical questionnaire, sampled locally harvested seafood and algae, and obtained urine samples for saxitoxin testing from symptomatic and asymptomatic persons. PSP case-patients were defined as island residents who developed at least one neurological symptom during the November 4-16 intoxication period. Seafood and algal samples were analyzed for saxitoxins using the receptor-binding assay and high-performance liquid chromatography. Two urine samples were analyzed for saxitoxins using a newly developed immunoassay. Three shellfish and two algal samples tested positive for saxitoxins. Ten (9%) of 107 participants developed neurological symptoms during the specified time period and five required hospitalization. While 6 (67%) of 9 possible case-patients and 21 (21%) of 98 controls had eaten fish (p=0.008), all case-patients and 17 (17%) of controls had eaten clams (P<0.0001). The saxitoxin concentration in the urine of a hospitalized case-patient was 21 ng saxitoxin/g creatinine compared to 0.16 ng saxitoxin/g creatinine in the single control patient's urine. These findings suggest that a bloom of saxitoxin-producing algae resulted in saxitoxin accumulation in local clams and was responsible for the PSP intoxication.

Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 47 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 47 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Researcher 10 21%
Student > Master 10 21%
Student > Ph. D. Student 5 11%
Other 3 6%
Student > Bachelor 3 6%
Other 5 11%
Unknown 11 23%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 8 17%
Environmental Science 6 13%
Medicine and Dentistry 5 11%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 4 9%
Chemistry 3 6%
Other 7 15%
Unknown 14 30%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 01 January 2018.
All research outputs
#7,478,822
of 22,862,742 outputs
Outputs from BMC Research Notes
#1,241
of 4,267 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#88,355
of 258,992 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Research Notes
#27
of 65 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 22,862,742 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 44th percentile – i.e., 44% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 4,267 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.5. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 65% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 258,992 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 56% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 65 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 58% of its contemporaries.