Ciguatera poisoning

Guam Department of Agriculture

Ciguatera fish poisoning can be considered one of the most serious public health problems in the Pacific. Although fatalities from ciguatera are rare, the effects from ciguatera poisoning can be severe and recovery slow. Symptoms of ciguatera poisoning include nausea, watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, a reversal of the sensations of hot and cold, numbness with tingling in the limbs, general weakness, headache, dizziness, and pain in the muscles and joints. Ciguatoxin is introduced into the reef food chain by a marine dinoflagellate, Gambierdiscus tozicus. These microorganisms attach themselves to algae and other bare surfaces, and the toxin enters the food chain by being consumed by herbivorous fish, which are then consumed by predatory fish. The toxin does not affect the health of the fish, does not change the color of the flesh or taste of fish, and cannot be destroyed by cooking. Ciguatera poisoning can occur from eating herbivorous fish that consumed the toxic dinoflagellate or the predators of these fish. Because fish do not break down or rid themselves of the ciguatoxin, large predatory fish are especially dangerous since they will store all the ciguatoxin from every fish consumed in their entire lives. Ciguatoxin is found in the flesh of fish, but is concentrated in the liver, organs, eggs, and even the head of the fish. Large red snappers, Lutjanus bohar, and large moray eels, Gymnothorax javanicus, are the most commonly implicated species in Micronesia for ciguatera. Other fish implicated include large groupers (gadao), large snappers, large emperors (mafute'), large jacks (mamulan), large barracuda, and large triggerfish. As a general rule, fish larger than what is commonly caught and locally consumed should be avoided.