today's topic is ciguatera fish poisoning ciguatera fish poisoning is a foodborne illness affecting humans worldwide it is the most frequent seafood poisoning reported in the world especially in travelers it occurs commonly in tropical and subtropical areas particularly in the pacific ocean indian ocean and the caribbean sea according to the cdc around fifty thousand cases occur per year although other estimates vary up to five hundred thousand per year there is a low risk of death from poisoning causes fish poisoning is caused by eating certain fish contaminated with certain toxins the specific toxins involved is sigotoxin these toxins are made by a small marine organism dinoflagellate gamabo discus toxicus that typically inhabits low-lying tropical shore areas and coral reefs herbivorous fish feed on this marine organism and larger carnivorous fish in turn feed on the herbivorous fish the toxin becomes concentrated in the larger fish ultimately causing sigurtera fish poisoning when they are consumed by humans the toxins are concentrated in the fish heads row intestines and liver any reef fish can cause the condition but other most commonly affected species include barracuda sea bass amberjack moray eel grouper red snapper parrotfish hogfish coral trout kingfish and sturgeon fish the toxins do not affect the taste texture or odor of the fish and cannot be eliminated by cooking smoking freezing salting or any other method of food preparation symptoms usually appear one to three hours after eating contaminated fish this may include abdominal pain nausea vomiting diarrhea neurological complications usually appear 3 to 72 hours later and this may include itching blurred vision a tingling sensation taste in the mouth numbness of extremities muscle aches headaches hallucinations reversal of hot and cold sensations where hot items feel cold and cold items feel hot other consequences may include depression low blood pressure chronic fatigue irregular heartbeat exercise intolerance hypertension hypotension rhythm disorders healthy males and females have developed symptoms following sexual intercourse with infected partners signifying that the toxin may be sexually transmitted diarrhea has been reported in breastfed infants of infected mothers signifying that the toxin migrates into breast milk symptoms can last from weeks to years up to about 20 years often leading to long-term disability diagnosis and treatment diagnosis is made based on a person's symptoms and dietary history if a number of those who consumed the same fish have symptoms diagnosis becomes likely if the remains from the consumed fish are available it can be tested to confirm diagnosis treatment there is no specific cure for the condition but symptoms can be treated until the illness resolves on its own treatment option is symptomatic and supportive nausea and vomiting must be treated with intravenous administration of fluids to avoid dehydration prevention since the toxin cannot be eliminated by cooking smoking freezing salting or any other method of food preparation to prevent being infected avoid eating reef fish travelers to endemic areas should be cautioned about the risk of contracting the condition and should be warned and cautioned when considering fish to consume do not eat the head liver intestines and row of smaller reef fish thank you for watching our video please do not forget to like and share the video also please subscribe to the channel to stay updated on our latest videos