Ciguatera fish poisoning is one of the least expected types of food poisoning that people often come across. Many people love eating fish both well-cooked and rawly prepared but the results are not always the same. The lucky ones will have a great experience while the least unfortunate ones experience ciguatera fish poisoning; even worse, severely. We are going to learn a bit more about this today, let’s dive into that, shall we?
1What Causes Ciguatera Fish Poisoning?
Ciguatera fish poisoning aka ciguatera is a seafood poisoning caused by the consumption of tropical reef fish that contains ciguatoxins in their flesh. These toxins come from small sea plants known as dinoflagellates that grow around and on coral reefs which the fish feed on. The specific form of microalgae that produces toxins that can lead to ciguatera poisoning is the Gambierdiscus Toxicus. This plankton produces ciguatoxins that are harmful to the human nervous system. The thing is that cooking does not destroy the toxins so if it happens, it happens.
2What Fish That Causes Ciguatera Poisoning?
Some of the common fish that carry ciguatera are usually reef-dwelling fish that feed on the sea plants around their habitats. Those fish that live in warm and shallow waters and they ingest the microalgae, leading to toxin accumulation in their flesh over time. The common fish that cause the poisoning are amberjack, barracuda, grouper, moray eel, parrotfish, red snapper, sea bass, and sturgeon. What to know is that not all individuals of these fish carry the toxin, and this is the tricky part. Like with barracuda, it is not common for them to carry the toxin due to their wide variety of food. However, the chance of them causing ciguatera is not zero. You never know when you will get the poisoning, and it is like eating them at your own risk.
3Symptoms
Upon consumption, ciguatera can cause a wide range of symptoms, both mild and severe. Some of the most common symptoms of ciguatera are diarrhea, dizziness, itchiness, numbness, sensitivity to hot and cold, and vomiting. If the symptoms are serious, it is possible to experience a disconnection between the sense of touch and feel that can last for months. There are also severe cases where patients have breathing difficulty, irregular heartbeat, and paralysis. More than that, this poisoning can be fatal to humans because breathing difficulty and irregular heartbeat can lead to heart failure and death. However, full recovery is possible with proper medical treatment and death from ciguatera fish poisoning is also rare.
Source
Florida Sport Fishing
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