{"id":15048,"date":"2019-06-13T05:10:55","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T10:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/?p=15048"},"modified":"2020-03-06T17:27:41","modified_gmt":"2020-03-06T23:27:41","slug":"food-poisoning-from-fish-ciguatera-and-scombroid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/food-safety-news\/food-poisoning-from-fish-ciguatera-and-scombroid\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Illness from Fish: Ciguatera and Scombroid"},"content":{"rendered":"
Fish can carry harmful toxins in their systems that may not be destroyed when they are cooked. The two common two types of seafood illness that can be caused by fish are ciguatera<\/em><\/strong> and scombroid<\/strong> <\/em>poisoning.<\/p>\n Neither type of seafood poisoning can be detected by taste or appearance. Neither can be prevented by cooking or freezing the fish.<\/p>\n Scombroid poisoning is a food illness caused by the consuming certain species of fish contaminated with scombrotoxin (histamine) as a result of decomposition (inadequate refrigeration during processing or storage). Certain kinds of fish, especially dark meat fish, are more prone to produce histamine toxicity. These species include tuna, mahi-mahi, marlin, bluefish, sardines, anchovy, bonito, herring and mackerel.<\/p>\n Histamine toxicity is sometimes confused with an allergic reaction to fish because the symptoms are similar. But, because bacteria break down the the flesh of the fish (due to improper refrigeration) to form the histamine – it is considered a food illness. Furthermore, individuals with no history of allergies whatsoever, may be affected.<\/p>\n Symptoms typically develop rapidly (from 10 minutes to 2 hours after consumption) and can last up to a few days. The range of symptoms experienced is quite wide and may include:<\/p>\n Rarely, breathing problems or an irregular heart beat may occur. The elderly or individuals with weak immune systems may require hospital treatment. The symptoms usually resolve themselves within 24 hours.<\/p>\n Fish contaminated with histamine may have a peppery, sharp, salty, taste or \u201cbubbly\u201d feel but will usually look, smell, and taste normal. The key to prevention is to make sure that the fish is properly iced or refrigerated at temperatures <38\u00b0F (<3.3\u00b0C), or immediately frozen after it is caught. Cooking, smoking, canning, or freezing will not destroy histamine in contaminated fish.<\/p>\n No test is 100% reliable for assessing fish for this toxin or poison. Cooking kills the bacteria, but toxins remain in the tissues and can be absorbed after the food is ingested.<\/p>\n Preventing Scombroid Fish Poisoning<\/strong><\/p>\n Reference: CDC – Food Poisoning from Marine Toxins<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ciguatera fish poisoning (or ciguatera), the most common form of algal-induced seafood poisoning, is an illness caused by eating contaminated tropical marine reef fish that contain toxins produced by a marine microalgae called Gambierdiscus toxicus,\u00a0<\/i>a microscopic algae common in the tropics.<\/p>\n People who have ciguatera poisoning may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle weakness, joint aches, headache, dizziness, and low blood pressure. A characteristic symptom is “hot-cold reversal”; hot items feel cold and cold items feel hot.<\/p>\n Symptoms may begin within 15 minutes to 24 hours after eating affected fish. Most people are better in a few days, but in some cases symptoms have lasted for months or even years.<\/p>\n People should take the following precautions to prevent ciguatera fish poisoning:<\/p>\n Remember that ciguatera toxins do not affect the texture, taste, or smell of fish, and they are not destroyed by gastric acid, cooking, smoking, freezing, canning, salting, or pickling.<\/p>\n There is no specific antidote for ciguatoxin or maitotoxin poisonings. People who have ciguatera can only be treated for their symptoms.<\/p>\n After recovering from ciguatera poisoning, patients may want to avoid any fish, nuts, alcohol, or caffeine for at least 6 months as they may cause a relapse in symptoms.<\/p>\n Reference: CDC – Food Poisoning from Marine Toxins<\/a><\/p>\n Spoiled fish<\/em>, the result of poor food handling practices, can also cause dramatic gastrointestinal symptoms \u2013 nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. As with any other perishable food, fish need to be handled safely: keep uncooked fish cold, keep cooked fish hot, wash hands, utensils, and cutting boards before and after handling raw fish.<\/p>\n Selecting high-quality fish is easy when you know what to look for. A simple inspection of seafood selections at your local grocery store or fish market will tell you whether the fish is fresh or pre-frozen; handled properly or improperly; healthy or unhealthy.<\/p>\n Check the eyes for clarity Once the fish begins to deteriorate, the eyes dry out, become cloudy, and sink in or shrivel away. This indicates an unhealthy or improperly-handled fish.<\/p>\n Check the fins Torn and ragged fins probably belong to a fish that was netted or held for too long.<\/p>\n Poke the flesh Fish that has lost its firm shape is no longer fresh. If it doesn’t spring back, it is a sure sign that the meat has softened.<\/p>\n Check the gills After several days, a fish’s gills will become dark brown or even black in color, indicating that the fish’s myoglobin has oxidized into metmyoglobin, which has a brickred-brown color. Mucus will build as time passes, too, so as the fish ages. the gills will become slimy and sticky.<\/p>\n Touch scales Filleted Fish Pooling water also inside the container usually indicates that the fish is aging and losing its ability to hold moisture.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Common types of food poisoning from fish include scombroid and ciguatera. Neither type of seafood illness or poisoning can be detected by taste or appearance. Neither can be prevented by cooking or freezing the fish. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":19845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1106],"tags":[1242],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15048"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15048"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19850,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15048\/revisions\/19850"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\t\t
Scombroid Poisoning<\/h3>\n
Food Safety Training - 10% OFF SALE<\/div>\r\n
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Scombroid Poisoning Symptoms<\/h3>\n
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Scombroid Prevention<\/h3>\n
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Ciguatera Poisoning<\/h3>\n
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Ciguatera Poisoning Symptoms<\/h3>\n
Ciguatera Prevention<\/h3>\n
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Ciguatera Treatment<\/h3>\n
Ciguatera Basic Facts<\/h3>\n
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Spoiled Fish<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/strong>Before you handle the fish, check the eyes. They should be crystal-clear, plump, wet, and shiny, with no sunken features. If the eyes look good, you can bet with reasonable confidence that the fish is fresh and healthy.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The tail and dorsal fins of the fish should be healthy-looking, wet, and intact. A fish that’s been mishandled will have torn or ragged fins, while an older fish’s fins will be dry and brittle.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>If the fish monger allows it, try touching the fish for further signs of health and freshness.\u00a0It should feel cold, wet, and slippery, but not sticky. When pressed, it should spring back to its natural shape, just like if you were to press on your own flesh.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Check the gills for vitality and color.\u00a0When first caught, a fish’s gills appear bright red, and slowly darken over time.\u00a0The brighter the color, the fresher the fish. The gills should also feel clean and cold, not slimy.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Scales are designed to protect the fish from a harsh watery environment. When a fish is fresh, the scales will be shiny and firm, a veritable armor against the elements. Less-fresh fish will often shed scales as you run your hand over them, and they may appear dry and flaky.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Look for cracks in the filet that run between the muscles and collagen sheaths (the white lines running through the fish). Breaks in the muscle itself tend to indicate mishandling.<\/p>\nAdditional Resources
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\nhttps:\/\/www.fda.gov\/food\/seafood-guidance-documents-regulatory-information\/fish-and-fishery-products-hazards-and-controls-guidance-4th-edition<\/a><\/li>\n
\nhttp:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/healthlibrary\/conditions\/travel_medicine\/what_is_fish_and_shellfish_poisoning_85,P01434<\/a><\/li>\n
\nhttp:\/\/www.doh.wa.gov\/CommunityandEnvironment\/Shellfish\/BiotoxinsIllnessPrevention\/Biotoxins\/ParalyticShellfishPoison<\/a><\/i><\/li>\n
\nhttp:\/\/wwwnc.cdc.gov\/travel\/yellowbook\/2014\/chapter-2-the-pre-travel-consultation\/food-poisoning-from-marine-toxins<\/a><\/i><\/li>\n
\nhttps:\/\/doh.sd.gov\/diseases\/infectious\/diseasefacts\/AlgalToxins.aspx<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n