Seafood Safety (1991) / Chapter Skim
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4. Naturally Occurring Fish and Shellfish Poisons
4. Naturally Occurring Fish and Shellfish Poisons
Pages 87-110
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From page 87... ...
shellfish poisoning, were reported earlier, and diarrhetic shellfish poisoning and amnesic shellfish poisoning are prospective risks that should be anticipated. Naturally, toxic fish and shellfish cannot be distinguished from nontoxic animals by sensory inspection, and the toxins are not destroyed by normal cooking or processing.
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From page 88... ...
INTRODUCTION The toxic diseases from fish and shellfish of importance to American consumers include ciguatera, scombroid fish poisoning, paralytic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic (brevetoxic) shellfish poisoning, puffer fish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, and amnesic shellfish poisoning (Hughes and Merson, 1976; Mills and Passmore, 1988; Ragelis, 1984; Todd, 1989~.
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From page 89... ...
, but the fish most commonly implicated include amberjack, snapper, grouper, barracuda, goatfish, and reef fish belonging to the Carrangidae (Table 4-2~. In the United States, Ciguatera occurs principally in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and Florida (CDC, 1989~.
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From page 90... ...
Several toxic compounds have been isolated from ciguatoxic fish and from Gambierd~scus. The principal toxin called "ciguatoxin" is a small lipid-soluble polyether with a molecular weight of 1,112 (Scheuer et al., 1967~; this toxin has been purified and its structure determined (Murata et al., 1990~.
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From page 91... ...
For residents of south Florida, the Caribbean, and Hawaiian or other Pacific islands, absolute safety depends on individual abstinence from eating reef fish. The risk may be greatly reduced by r D TABLE 4-3 Outbreaks and Cases of Ciguatera in the United States Reported to CDC 1978-1987 State Outbreaks Cases Percentage Percentage of Outbreaks of Cases California 1 2 0.6 0.3 Florida 9 35 5~0 4~4 Guama 60 117 56.0 48.0 Hawaii 144 560 8()
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From page 92... ...
In summary, the risks of contracting ciguatera fish poisoning are low for most consumers of seafood in the mainland United States. Risks are much higher in Hawaii, other Pacific islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, with more moderate risks in areas such as Miami that border endemic zones.
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From page 93... ...
approach would be to emphasize development of an inexpensive but reliable assay for ciguatoxic fish, similar to the stick test proposed by Hokama (1990~. The stick test measures ciguatoxin and polyether compounds including okadaic acid (Hokama et al., 1989a)
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From page 94... ...
Fish imported to the United States from warmwater countries, particularly mahimahi, have been implicated as a cause of scombroid poisoning; this reflects both the high ambient water and air temperatures in the originating area, and the poor handling conditions on boats and in markets permitting growth of the bacteria that convert histidine to histamine. The disease is correctly described as histamine poisoning (Taylor, 1986~; it includes gastrointestinal, neurological, hemodynamic, and cutaneous symptoms such as TABLE 4-5 Scombroid Fish Poisoning in the United States Reported to CDC, 1978-1987 State Outbreaks Cases Alaska 3 17 Arizona 3 7 California 18 (12~)
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From page 95... ...
The occurrence of scombroid fish poisoning in recent years, based on CDC reports, is between 12 and 20 outbreaks involving fewer than 100 cases per year (higher numbers were recorded in 1973, 1979, and 1980~. This is, without question, a considerable underestimate because the illness is generally mild, passes rapidly with no aftereffects, and is thus not usually reported to health authorities.
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From page 96... ...
Although PSP is an extremely dangerous disease that can cause death, there IS reason to believe that mild cases due to consumption of marginally toxic clams by recreational diggers are never reported to health authorities or are misdiagnosed. Paralytic shellfish poisoning is potentially life threatening because the toxins involved are among the most poisonous known.
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From page 97... ...
In the United States, the toxigenic dinoflagellates of importance are Gonyaulax catenella and G tamarenses,~ the first being most dominant on the West Coast and the second on the East Coast (Taylor, 1988~.
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From page 98... ...
Blooms of the toxigenic dinoflagellates Gonyaula~c catenella (West Coast)
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From page 99... ...
The present system of testing and control by the states appears to provide adequate protection to the consumer of domestically produced shellfish. Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning (NSP)
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From page 100... ...
The symptoms of puffer fish poisoning are similar to those described for paralytic shellfish poisoning, including initial tingling and numbness of lips, tongue, and fingers leading to paralysis of the extremities; ataxia; difficulty in speaking; and finally, death by asphyxiation due to respiratory paralysis. Nausea and vomiting are common early symptoms.
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From page 101... ...
Amnesic shellfish poisoning has been proposed by Todd (1989) as a name for the syndrome caused by domoic acid.
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From page 102... ...
Three of these are of direct significance to the U.S. consumer: ciguatera, scombroid poisoning, and paralytic shellfish poisoning.
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From page 103... ...
Fortunately, the serious life-threatening intoxications are controllable so that most incidents of fish poisoning are of short duration and are self-resolving. Nevertheless, research aimed at the detection and elimination of toxic fish from the food supply and at methods of treatment for intoxications such as ciguatera that can have long-lasting and even disabling effects should be encouraged.
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From page 104... ...
, RIA, ELISA, immunological stick test under development Lipid-soluble, polyether multi component Largest seafood problem, 50,000 cases per year, <0.1 mortality Stable to cooking Abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, neurological symptoms; rarely fatal Actual dose not known; any amount Is dangerous No effective antidote; mannitol may be effective in acute cases No harvesting where toxic fish are found Remarks: In most cases toxic shellfish are not detectable by organoleptic means. It is therefore important that practical chemical or biological tests, specific for the detection of the toxins, be developed.
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From page 105... ...
consumption. An example: diarrhetic shellfish poisoning is not a problem in the United States, but the dinoflagellate that produces the toxin may become established in shellfish areas that supply U.S.
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From page 106... ...
Research should also be directed toward analysis of the events leading to the appearance of toxic fish in particular reef environments, with the objective of developing predictive indices that can be used to close areas to fishing before human intoxications occur. · All imported fish of species known to be a cause of scombroid poisoning should be certified as having histamine levels of less than 20 mg/100 g of fish.
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From page 107... ...
1983. The epidemiology of ciguatera fish poisoning in Hawaii 1975-1982.
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From page 108... ...
1983. Ciguatera fish poisoning: A major common source outbreak in the U.S.
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From page 109... ...
1980. Ciguatera fish poisoning in Miami.
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From page 110... ...
1979. Histamine production by Klebsiella pneumoniae and an incident of scombroid fish poisoning.
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