Anaphylactic shock to oysters and white fish with generalized urticaria to prawns and white fish

Because seafood consumption is moderate-to-high in Spain, allergic reactions to seafood such as fish, crustacea and mollusc are fairly frequent. The clinical features of these reactions depend on the implicated species and whether the reaction is provoked by ingestion, handling or vapor inhalation. Because different species have common antigenic structures, cross-sensitization is frequent, especially between crustaceans and molluscs. Contamination of fish by nematodes (Anisakis) may produce severe reactions. We report the case of a female patient with no personal or family history of allergy who experienced two episodes of anaphylactic shock: the first occurred immediately after eating oysters and the second after ingestion of white fish. The patient also developed generalized urticaria provoked by crustacean (prawns) and white fish. The results of skin prick tests were negative for fish, shellfish, crustacean and oysters while in vitro tests were positive for oyster, prawns, Anisakis, Ascaris and Echinococcus, although stool samples and gastric endoscopy were negative (AU)

Como el consumo de alimentos procedentes del mar en España es de moderado a elevado, las reacciones alérgicas a pescados, crustáceos y moluscos son bastante frecuentes. Las características clínicas de dichas reacciones dependen de las especies implicadas y de si la reacción está provocada por ingestión, manipulación o inhalación de vapores. Como distintas especies tienen estructuras antigénicas comunes, la sensibilización cruzada es frecuente, especialmente entre los crustáceos y los moluscos. La contaminación del pescado por nematodos (Anisakis) puede producir reacciones graves. Describimos el caso de una mujer sin antecedentes personales ni familiares de alergia que experimentó dos episodios de shock anafilático: el primero se produjo inmediatamente después de tomar ostras y el segundo, después de comer pescado blanco. La paciente también sufrió una urticaria generalizada provocada por crustáceos (gambas) y pescado blanco. Los resultados de las pruebas de punción cutánea fueron negativas para pescado, mariscos, crustáceos y ostras, mientras que las pruebas in vitro fueron positivas para ostras, gambas, Anisakis, Ascaris y Echinococcus, si bien las muestras de heces y la endoscopia gástrica resultaron negativas (AU)

Cyanobacterial diversity in extreme environments in Baja California, Mexico: a polyphasic study

Cyanobacterial diversity from two geographical areas of Baja California Sur, Mexico, were studied: Bahia Concepcion, and Ensenada de Aripez. The sites included hypersaline ecosystems, sea bottom, hydrothermal springs, and a shrimp farm. In this report we describe four new morphotypes, two are marine epilithic from Bahia Concepcion, Dermocarpa sp. and Hyella sp. The third, Geitlerinema sp., occurs in thermal springs and in shrimp ponds, and the fourth, Tychonema sp., is from a shrimp pond. The partial sequences of the 16S rRNA genes and the phylogenetic relationship of four cyanobacterial strains (Synechococcus cf. elongatus, Leptolyngbya cf. thermalis, Leptolyngbya sp., and Geitlerinema sp.) are also presented. Polyphasic studies that include the combination of light microscopy, cultures and the comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences provide the most powerful approach currently available to establish the diversity of these oxygenic photosynthetic microorganisms in culture and in nature (AU)

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