Ciguatera Poisoning

Ciguatera poisoning is a foodborne illness caused by eating certain reef fish whose flesh is
contaminated with a toxin called ciguatoxin made by dinoflagellates such as Gambierdiscus
toxicus which live in tropical and subtropical waters. These dinoflagellates are eaten
by herbivorous fish which in turn are eaten by larger carnivorous fish. This is
called biomagnification. Ciguatoxin is odourless, tasteless and cannot be removed by
conventional cooking.

Liver, intestines and roe accumulate more toxin than muscle tissues. Consumption of these fish
results in disease, with gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms developing with a few (36)
hours. Gastrointestinal symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea and
last for a short time. Neurological symptoms include headaches, muscle aches, paresthesia
(tingling and numbness of lips and tongue), chills, sweating, blurred vision, dryness of mouth and
paralysis.

No methods exist at present to detect ciguatoxin and therefore monitoring fish for the presence
of this toxin is not possible. Incidence of the disease can be reduced by avoiding consumption of
large fish from the reef, particularly their inner organs. There is no effective treatment or antidote
for ciguatera poisoning. The mainstay of treatment is supportive care.

Detection methods (Folk methods)

In Northern Australia, where ciguatera is a common problem, folk science methods are widely
believed to detect whether fish harbor significant ciguatoxin. The first method is that flies are
supposed not to land on contaminated fish. The second is that cats will display symptoms after
eating contaminated fish. A third, less common testing method involves putting a silver coin
under the scales of the suspect fish. If the coin turns black, according to the theory, it is
contaminated.

In Dominican Republic, another common belief is that during months which names don't include
the letter "R" (May through August) it is not recommended to eat certain kind of fish, because
they are more likely to be infected by the ciguatera toxin. This method derives from excluding
months that include "-ember". The validity of many of these tests has been scientifically rejected.