amnesic shellfish poisoning

noun

variants: also amnestic shellfish poisoning

Medical Definition of amnesic shellfish poisoning

: shellfish poisoning that is characterized by gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms (such as vomiting, abdominal cramps, headache, and permanent short-term memory loss) and sometimes death and is caused by domoic acid ingested in contaminated shellfish Eating … shellfish with domoic acid concentrations that exceed 20 parts per million can lead to amnesic shellfish poisoning. — Jeffrey P. Mayor, The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), 7 Oct. 2004 There is no antidote for amnesic shellfish poisoning, and neither cooking nor freezing clams lessens the toxicity. — Allen Thomas, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), 15 May 2003