Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
paralytic shell·fish poisoning Pronunciation:
-'shel-"fish- Function:
noun : food poisoning that results from consumption of shellfish andespecially 2-shelled mollusks (as clams, mussels, or scallops) contaminated with dinoflagellates causing red tide and that is characterized by paresthesia, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, muscleweakness, and sometimes paralysis which may lead to respiratory failure
