Chelonitoxism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chelonitoxism or chelonitoxication is a type of food poisoning which occasionally results from eating turtles, particularly marine turtles, in the region of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.[1][2] It is considered rare.[3]
Four species of marine turtle have been associated with chelonitoxism: hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta gigas), leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), plus the freshwater species New Guinea giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys bibroni). Consumption of these species has caused poisoning incidents at various times of year in various tropical and subtropical locations, including such places as Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines and New Guinea, as well as southern South Asia (Gulf of Mannar) and the Zanzibar archipelago.[4] The southern South Asia region has recorded 89 deaths from (primarily hawksbill and green) sea turtle poisoning from 1840 to 1983, mainly in Tamil Nadu and northern and western Sri Lanka.[2] Sea turtle is a traditional food in the region of the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans.[2]