Ciguatera and Scombroid
I used to think that eating healthy was ordering a fish sandwich at McDonalds - John Mellencamp
image by: Florida's Poison Control Centers
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Food Poisoning from Fish: Ciguatera and Scombroid
What you can't smell can't hurt you, right? Wrong! Eating some kinds of spoiled fish can cause dramatic symptoms.
Common types of poisoning from spoiled fish include scombroid and ciguatera. Neither type of fish poisoning can be detected by taste or appearance. Neither can be prevented by cooking or freezing the fish. Fish can also be contaminated with chemicals or heavy metals.
Scombroid poisoning is caused by fish which have not been refrigerated properly from the time they were caught until the time they were served. Bacteria act on compounds in the fish, releasing histamine. This accounts for the allergic-type…
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Explainer: what is ciguatera fish poisoning?
Because symptoms vary greatly, CFP can easily be confused with other illnesses, making it very difficult to diagnose unless the toxins can be identified in the seafood the patient has consumed. The only therapy for CFP to have been evaluated by randomised blinded clinical trials is the diuretic drug mannitol, given intravenously. It’s recommended the drug is administered within 48 to 72 hours of the ingestion of toxic fish, and has been found to significantly alleviate symptoms in many patients.
Explainer: what is scombroid fish poisoning?
Scombroid poisoning arises from the consumption of fish that contains a high level of histamine, a chemical normally produced within our cells in response to an allergen. Not surprisingly, therefore, the symptoms generated are often mistaken for an allergic reaction to the fish itself. High levels of histamine are generated in the flesh of the fish due to bacterial contamination, usually resulting from poor storage conditions, and particularly from inadequate refrigeration. These conditions allow bacteria to proliferate and convert an amino acid called histidine, naturally present in the flesh of the fish, into histamine.
Fish Poisoning in Travelers: Ciguatera and Scombroid
Health experts urge us to eat more fish because of its beneficial health effects, but toxins in contaminated fish can cause health problems. Two common causes of fish-related food poisoning are ciguatera and scombroid, and travelers may be at risk of these illnesses.
Fish Poisoning More Common Than Believed
Ciguatera (pronounced sig-WAH-terra) is produced by algae that grow in warm water, and there is a risk of it spreading north as ocean waters warm, said Elizabeth G. Radke, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida’s Emerging Pathogens Institute and the lead author of the study. The poison is picked up by coral reef fish that eat vegetation and concentrates in larger carnivorous fish that eat them. The highest levels are found in barracuda, but it is also found in grouper, amberjack, hogfish, snapper, mackerel and mahi-mahi. Neither cooking nor freezing affects the toxin.
Fish poisoning: Spanish mackerel case a 'wake-up call' for spread of deadly toxins
It's already a serious issue in the tropical Pacific, including the Cook Islands, where Dr Murray has worked. There, as many as 70 per cent of the population has been afflicted as the microalgae spreads, with some local communities giving up spear fishing and one of their main sources of exercise and protein.
Food Poisoning from Fish: Ciguatera and Scombroid
Scombroid poisoning is caused by eating spoiled fish. Ciguatera fish poisoning is caused by eating fish which have themselves eaten fish contaminated with ciguatera. Neither type of fish poisoning can be detected by taste or appearance or prevented by cooking or freezing the fish. Treatment is available but symptoms may last for months or years.
Ciguatera Fish Poisoning
People may become ill with ciguatera fish poisoning after eating certain contaminated fish. The ciguatera toxin is created by microalgae that naturally live in warm-water oceans, and this disease has been known for centuries. Ciguatera fish poisoning is probably underreported in the continental United States, since most cases are of short duration and it is not well known outside areas where it is common, such as the Caribbean and Hawaii.
Histamine (Scombroid Poisoning) Fact Sheet
Scombroid food poisoning is caused by ingestion of fish containing high concentrations of histamine, which is a product of the degradation of the amino acid histidine. Histidine can be found freely in the muscles of some fish species and can be degraded to histamine by enzymatic action of some naturally occurring bacteria.
CalPoison.org
Scombroid poisoning, or histamine fish poisoning, is a type of food poisoning that is similar to symptoms of seafood allergies. The term “scombroid” derives from the type of fish (i.e. Scombridae) first implicated, such as tuna and mackerel. The first report of scombroid poisoning was published in 1830.
International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers
Ciguatera Fish Poisoning is the most common seafood illness reported in travellers. It is caused by eating fish contaminated with ciguatoxins which are produced by dinoflagellates (small marine organisms living on or near coral reefs) belonging to the species Gambierdiscus toxicus. Herbivorous fish feed on these organisms and the ciguatoxins bio-accumulate along the marine food chain to larger predatory fish, usually over 2.7 kg / 6 lbs.
MedicineNet
Ciguatera toxin tends to accumulate in predator fish, such as the barracuda and other carnivorous reef fish, because they eat other fish that consume toxin-producing algae (dinoflagellates) that live in coral reef waters. Ciguatera toxin is harmless to fish but poisonous to humans.
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