Fish Poisoning: Learn About Its Types

Looking at the fish, smelling them and tasting them, it is impossible to notice if they are contaminated with anything. Besides, the toxins cannot be destroyed in any way, even if you cook, marinate or freeze the fish. So what can fish poisoning look like and what are its types?

The appearance of vomiting, diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain and body aches are symptoms that may indicate that you have eaten fish or other food with high levels of toxins. When poisoned by fish or seafood, they have become contaminated with bacteria or toxins.

So what can you do in case of fish poisoning?

Fish poisoning

At certain times of the year, several types of fish and seafood can contain poisonous organic poisons that remain in them even when properly cooked.

According to the US Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), tourists are often unaware of this risk, especially for those who travel to tropical and subtropical zones.

Fish containing such toxins do not look, smell or taste bad. Cooking, pickling or freezing them does not destroy toxins. Thus, fish poisoning becomes inevitable. Let’s look at the different types of this phenomenon.

1. Poisoning with marine toxins (ciguatera)

More than 400 species of fish, especially reef fish, are believed to contain toxins that cause poisoning with marine toxins. The greatest threat is reef fish from tropical and subtropical waters of the West Indies, the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

Such fish poisoning has been reported repeatedly in the United States, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Florida.

What are the symptoms of ciguatery?

Symptoms of marine toxin poisoning typically appear minutes to six hours after the toxic fish is eaten. These include numerous gastrointestinal, neurological and circulatory reactions.

Among the symptoms, we distinguish:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Watery diarrhea
• Headaches
• Numbness and tremors around the mouth and extremities

In more severe cases, you may experience muscle pain, dizziness, and a feeling of ‘inverted temperature’ – that is, what’s hot feels cold and what’s cold feels hot.

You may also experience irregular heart rate and low blood pressure. Symptoms usually improve after a few days, but can last for up to four weeks.

2. Scombrotoxism

Scombrotoxism, i.e. an allergic reaction to the consumption of sackcloth fish or poisoning with histamine, occurs after eating fish that contain high levels of histamine. It comes to him due to improper handling of food.

These fish, which include dolphins, albacore tuna, yellowfin tuna, chub mackerel, sardines, anchovies, herring, marlins, yellowfinch, and abalone contain large amounts of histamine. As a result of improper storage, the bacteria convert histidine into histamine, thus causing poisoning.

What are the symptoms of scombrotoxism?

Symptoms usually appear within minutes of eating infected fish, although this can take up to an hour. They usually last up to three hours, but can also extend over several days. We include among them:

• Tingling or burning sensation in the mouth
• Rash on the skin of the face and upper torso
• Difficulties with breathing
• Drop in blood pressure
• Pulsating headache
• Hives and itchy skin
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

The symptoms of scombrotoxicity can resemble other conditions or health problems. Many cases of “allergy to fish” are actually scombrotoxism. Be sure to speak with your doctor to get a diagnosis.

3. Tetrodotoxin poisoning or pufferfish poisoning

Tetrodotoxin, also called pufferfish poisoning, is a much rarer type of fish poisoning. However, it is extremely serious. It is caused practically only by eating pufferfish, which comes from the waters of the Indo-Pacific regions.

Cases of poisoning and even death have been reported in connection with the consumption of puffer fish from the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California.

What are the symptoms of pufferfish poisoning?

Symptoms usually appear 20 minutes to 3 hours after consuming the poisonous pufferfish. Here are the most common symptoms of pufferfish poisoning:

• Numbness of the lips and tongue
• Numbness of the face and limbs
• A feeling of lightness or floating
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Difficulty speaking
• General muscle weakness

• Seizures
• Respiratory failure
• Heart arythmia

In the most severe cases, death can occur four to six hours after poisoning. Therefore, it is crucial to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

How can you protect yourself from fish poisoning?

To protect yourself from poisoning with marine toxins, you should not eat the fish that usually cause them. These include seriola, grouper, snapper, sturgeon, mackerel, barracuda and moray eel. The poison is more concentrated in the internal organs of the fish, so you should never eat these parts.

To protect yourself from scombrotoxicity, do not eat fish that have not been refrigerated properly. Take special care when eating fish such as tuna, sardines, mackerel, golden mackerel or anchovies.