Tropical fish may be off the menu
Food poisoning from the toxin, ciguatera, in tropical fish, in Australia, is on the rise and thought to be caused by global warming and reef disturbance.
|Coral Trout Pic: Animal World|
In an article in the latest edition of The Medical Journal of Australia, veterinary officer, Dr Leigh Lehane says that ciguatera has become the most common foodborne illness related to finfish consumption and that incidents of food poisonings are likely to increase.
Global warming and reef disturbance are thought to be increasing numbers of dinoflagellate that cause the formation of ciguatera toxins in fish flesh.
Tropical fish with ciguatera toxins look, smell and taste normal and the toxins are not destroyed by cooking.
"In it's typical form, ciguatera begins with vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain occurring within hours of ingestion of toxic fish but gastrointestinal symptoms are not always present. Sensory disturbances and pain - mainly in the extremities - are characteristic and may persist for weeks, months or years" says Lehane.
Ciguatoxins arise from the biotransformation in the fish of precursor gambiertoxins produced by Gambierdiscus toxicus, a marine dinoflagellate that lives alongside algae on dead coral or among detritus on the sea floor. The toxins are concentrated as they make their way up the food chain. Larger fish are more toxic.
Although 400 types of fish are affected the main species, in Queensland waters, are narrow-banded Spanish mackerel and other mackerel, barracuda, coral trout and flowery cod according to Lehane.