Temporal trends and epidemiological aspects of ciguatera in French Polynesia: a 10-year analysis

Abstract

SummaryObjectives The purpose of this study was to report the temporal trends of the incidence of ciguatera poisoning from 1992 to 2001 in French Polynesia.Methods This retrospective study analysed 7842 cases of ciguatera disease recorded over a period of 10 years.Results The annual incidence varied from 26.3 to 41.9 per 10 000 person‐years. An analysis of cases grouped by archipelago revealed differences in incidences (P < 0.0001) with the most remote archipelagos having the highest incidences. A detailed analysis on a sub‐sample of recorded cases for which clinical information was available (n = 1824) confirmed the neurological and gastrointestinal nature of this seafood poisoning.Conclusion The incidence of ciguatera poisoning appeared relatively stable during the 10 years of the study period. However, the gradient of remoteness observed suggests an adaptation of management of ciguatera disease to each archipelago.