![]() ![]() Symptoms usually last for approximately 4 to 6 hours and rarely exceed one to two days. Severe cases may blur vision, and cause respiratory stress and swelling of the tongue. These initial symptoms can advance to facial rash, hives, edema, short term diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Initial signs suggest an allergic response with facial flushing and sweating, burning-peppery taste sensations about the mouth and throat, dizziness, nausea and headache. This rapid onset is one reason scombroid poisoning may be reported more often than many other food poisonings which react much slower. Symptoms of scombroid poisoning can become evident within minutes to 2 hours following consumption. Regulatory guidelines have not been established for all the various fishes of concern, but 50mg/100g is inferred from the U.S. Histamine concentrations near or above 100mg/100g are typically noted in actual illnesses. A common, routine fluorometric procedure can determine milligrams (mg) of histamine per 100 grams (g) of edible fish. How can one identify scombroid poisoning?Ĭonfirmation for scombroid poisoning is a simple histamine analysis of the suspect fish. No doubt consumer mishandling in recreational and home settings can contribute to the incidence, and food service establishments must be better advised in product selection and handling. In annual reports scombroid poisonings still rank among the top four most often reported seafoodborne illnesses. Knowledge of the causative factors and controls have directed effective industry and regulatory responses to assure proper handling and monitoring for the species of concern. Annual reported occurrence in the United States through the last two decades has been somewhat consistent despite the increasingly popularity of fish, particularly tuna fish. Scombroid poisoning occurs wherever the particular marine fish species are eaten. The potential toxins are not destroyed by freezing, cooking, smoking, curing or canning. This natural spoilage process is thought to release additional by-products which potentiate the toxic effect. The suspect toxin is an elevated level of histamine generated by bacterial degradation of substances in the muscle protein. A few additional species have been implicated, but they are of less concern relative to popular fish consumption. Fish most commonly involved are members of the Scombridae family (tunas and mackerels), and a few non-scombroid relatives (bluefish, dolphin or mahi-mahi, and amberjacks). Scombroid poisoning is a type of food intoxication caused by the consumption of scombroid and scombroid-like marine fish species that have begun to spoil with the growth of particular types of food bacteria. The principal concern is for fresh fish, but the intoxication can result from consumption of certain frozen, cooked, cured or canned fish products. Scombroid poisoning is not usually a severe or long-term illness, and prevention is not difficult yet occurrence continues about the world. This note is intended to assist the seafood industry and health professionals in addressing a unique form of food poisoning caused by consumption of certain marine fish species that have experienced partial bacterial spoilage. ![]()
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