Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,765,198,268 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

ciguatera poisoning

   Also found in: Wikipedia 0.02 sec.
ciguatera poisoning
[sē′gwəter′ə]
Etymology: Sp, cigua, sea snail; L, potio, drink
a nonbacterial food poisoning that results from eating fish contaminated with the ciguatoxin. Many of the over 300 varieties of fish from the Caribbean or South Pacific have been implicated; barracuda is a common source. The toxin is believed to block acetylcholinesterase activity. Characteristics of ciguatera poisoning are vomiting, diarrhea, tingling or numbness of extremities and the skin around the mouth, itching, muscle weakness, pain, and respiratory paralysis. Cold liquids feel hot to the surfaces of the mouth and throat. No specific treatment has been developed.

ciguatera poisoning
Nutrition The ciguatera, a coral reef fish that secretes ichthyosarcotoxin–ciguatoxin, a substance produced by the reef dinoflagellate, Gambierdiscus toxicus, and concentrated, unchanged up the food chain by herbivores and carnivores; CP is the most common marine intoxication in the US; 400 spp of fish are implicated–eg, barracuda, grouper, red snapper, amberjack, surgeonfish, sea bass and–unlike scombroid poisoning, may cause morbidity regardless of the form of preparation Clinical Onset 6-12 hrs after ingestion; N&V, cramping, diarrhea, paresthesias, reversal of temperature sense, arthralgias, myalgias, cranial nerve palsies, pruritus with alcohol ingestion, chills, hypotension, bradycardia, respiratory paralysis or death, average duration 8 days Diagnosis RIA, ELISA Treatment IV mannitol reverses Sx. See Fish, Sushi. Cf Scombroid poisoning.


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
Occasionally, ciguatera poisoning has been reported outside disease endemic areas, such as the Bahamas, Canada, or Chile, but no case had been described in the West African region until now.
In Pacific Island countries that rely on fish as a major source of protein, ciguatera poisoning is the cause of a significant disease burden (Laurent et al.
To cut your risk of ciguatera poisoning, avoid locally caught grouper, amberjack, and red snapper in tropical areas.
 
Medical browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Medical Dictionary
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.