Food Poisoning From Eating Fish
How do you get food poisoning from fish?
There are two ways to get food poisoning from eating fish:
- Ciguatera (say: seeg-wha-terra) poisoning: This happens when you eat a reef fish (any fish living in warm tropical water) that has eaten a certain poisonous food. This poison does not go away when the fish is cooked or frozen.
- Scombroid poisoning: A substance like histamine builds up in some fish when they get too warm after they’re caught. Histamine is a chemical that serves as a kind of alarm to let your immune system know that an infection is attacking part of the body. If you eat a fish that was not properly cooled after it was caught, you may react to the histamine that is released into your body.
Who can get food poisoning from fish?
Anyone who eats fish can get ciguatera or scombroid poisoning. In the United States, fish poisoning is more common in Hawaii, Florida, New York, Washington and Connecticut.
What are the symptoms of food poisoning from fish?
Symptoms of ciguatera poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and numbness. You may notice a change in your ability to feel cold. You will think something feels hot when it is actually cold.
Symptoms of scombroid poisoning will usually develop 20 to 30 minutes after you eat an affected fish. They can include flushing (turning red), nausea, vomiting, hives and difficulty breathing. These symptoms are similar to other allergic reactions. However, getting scombroid poisoning does not mean you are allergic to fish.
Symptoms of scombroid poisoning will usually develop 20 to 30 minutes after you eat an affected fish. They can include flushing (turning red), nausea, vomiting, hives and difficulty breathing. These symptoms are similar to other allergic reactions. However, getting scombroid poisoning does not mean you are allergic to fish.
How is food poisoning from fish treated?
Ciguatera poisoning is treated with medicines that help ease your symptoms. There is no medicine that will cure ciguatera poisoning. The symptoms will go away on their own over time.
Scombroid poisoning is treated using an antihistamine (a medicine that blocks the histamine in your blood).
Scombroid poisoning is treated using an antihistamine (a medicine that blocks the histamine in your blood).
How long will I be sick?
The symptoms of ciguatera poisoning can last for 1 to 2 weeks. Exactly how long they last will depend on the amount of poison you have in your body. The symptoms can come back any time you eat an affected fish.
The symptoms of scombroid poisoning last for 6 to 8 hours after you eat an affected fish. The symptoms can come back any time you eat fish that has not been refrigerated properly.
Ciguatera and scombroid poisoning are rarely fatal.
The symptoms of scombroid poisoning last for 6 to 8 hours after you eat an affected fish. The symptoms can come back any time you eat fish that has not been refrigerated properly.
Ciguatera and scombroid poisoning are rarely fatal.
How can I avoid food poisoning from fish?
To avoid ciguatera poisoning, don't eat the fish that commonly carry the poison. This includes amberjack, grouper, snapper, sturgeon, king mackerel, barracuda and moray eel. The poison is more concentrated in a fish’s internal organs so you should never eat them.
To avoid scombroid poisoning, don't eat any fish that has not been refrigerated properly. Be especially careful when you eat fish such as tuna, sardines, mahi-mahi or anchovies.
To avoid scombroid poisoning, don't eat any fish that has not been refrigerated properly. Be especially careful when you eat fish such as tuna, sardines, mahi-mahi or anchovies.
Source
Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.
Poisoning, Envenomation, and Trauma from Marine Creatures by RA Perkins, M.D., M.P.H. and SS Morgan, M.D. (American Family Physician February 15, 2004, http://www.aafp.org/afp/20040215/885.html)
Reviewed/Updated: 12/06
Created: 12/04