British woman suffers paralysis and memory loss after swallowing poisonous algae while swimming in Florida

Nicoletta Stephanz says she swallowed microscopic 'neurotoxic' algae

Felt ill, developed a fever and then had excruciating pains and paralysis



Diagnosed with ciguatera, a condition which affects central nervous system

Condition is often misdiagnosed as MS and there is no guarantee of a cure



Now suffers from host of allergies and needs help bathing and dressing

A British woman says she has endured six years of paralysis and memory loss after swallowing poisonous algae while swimming in Florida



Nicoletta Stephanz was taking a dip in the sea when she unwittingly swallowed microscopic ‘neurotoxic’ algae.



Soon afterwards she experienced stomach cramps, which led to fever.Five weeks later she developed excruciating pains and paralysis throughout her body which baffled doctors.



Unwell: Nicoletta Stephanz (with partner Mark Wilson) was taking a dip in the sea when she swallowed microscopic 'neurotoxic' algae. She says she endured six years of paralysis and memory loss as a result

Ms Stephanz, who is in her 30s , was eventually diagnosed with ciguatera, a rare condition which affects the central nervous system.



She now suffers from a list of allergies and needs to be helped to bathe and get dressed.

She said: 'My partner Mark and I were on a hiking holiday in Florida in 2008. We went to this quiet isolated beach and noticed that the water had a red tinge to it but I never really thought anything of it.

'Later I found it was a "red tide" caused by algae in the water, but I thought it was normal for the area.'



Red tide is the common name for an algal bloom, a marine phenomenon in which large concentrations of microscopic organisms turn the water red or brown.



WHAT IS CIGUATERA? Ciguatera poisoning is a form of food poisoning.

It affects about 50,000 people in the world every year but is often misdiagnosed as Multiple Sclerosis due to its similar symptoms, and like MS, there is still no guaranteed cure. It is caused by eating warm water ocean fish that carry ciguatera poison (a toxin).

This poison is produced by a very tiny organism called a dinofl agellate, which attaches itself to algae growing in warm ocean water reef areas.

Small plant-eating fish eat this toxic algae and in turn are eaten by larger predatory fish which are eaten by humans .

While not always harmful, some red tides are linked to the production of toxins leading to the mass death of sea life and can have dangerous effects on humans.



Ms Stephanz s aid: 'Usually there are only a few kinds of algae in the water and they aren’t harmful, but when I was there the water had a kind called Pfiesteria that can turn from a plant into an animal, and then back into a plant.



'I noticed a lot of weird things in the area. There were dead fish everywhere on the beach, just thousands, and the birds were behaving really unusually.



'They were killing themselves by flying head first onto the beach because the algae had released neurotoxins into their brains, but by that time I had already been into the water.'

Within hours of her swim, Ms Stephanz started experiencing symptoms similar to food poisoning and knew something was seriously wrong.



For two weeks she endured crippling joint and muscle pain, along with fever and memory loss and eventually became so weak she could barely talk.

She said: 'Soon after I started feeling unwell, as though I had food poisoning. My muscles and joints hurt all over and I developed a heavy fever.



'I got home about two weeks later but none of the doctors there could help me because it was a tropical condition and no one knew anything about it.

'I was told that even if I hadn’t gone into the water, the algae still gets blown into the air and into the nearby towns, so I would have gotten it anyway just from breathing.'



Ms Stephanz, who is in her 30s, was eventually diagnosed with ciguatera, a rare condition which affects the central nervous system. She now suffers from a list of allergies and needs to be helped to bathe and get dressed

Ciguatera affects about 50,000 people in the world every year but is often misdiagnosed as Multiple Sclerosis due to its similar symptoms, and like MS, there is still no guaranteed cure.

But Ms Stephanz , who is cared for by her partner Mark Wilson, 34, at their home in Galashields, Scotland, found hope in some treatments which relieved the worst of her illness, and for a brief period was able to live a relatively normal life.



She said: 'When I was given antibiotics, I got a lot better. But they only helped me so much.



'I still need help getting dressed and bathing, as I can’t do that by myself any more. Mark has to help me do normal things.

'There’s a whole list of things that I can’t eat or be near because they aggravate the condition - eggs, caffeine, alcohol, nuts and seeds, chicken, and anything from the sea.



'I also can’t be near cleaning products which contain ethanol.'

Gambierdiscus toxicus, which produces ciguatera toxin. Ciguatoxin accumulates in the flesh of fish and, when eaten by humans, causes severe illness

Now Ms Stephanz hopes to travel to London with Mr Wilson to see a specialist who may able to help her condition at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, but is struggling to raise the money.



Mr Wilson, a technology journalist, said: 'A trip to London is simply beyond our means. I feel terrible not being able to help Nic out, but she is unable to work, and the fact that I provide 24-hour care means that I am not able to work to the extent needed to bring in the money.



'While the local health authority has agreed to fund the referral, there is no funding available for travel and/or accommodation.'

