Generally, recovery takes from several days to several weeks. There is no specific antidote for the toxin itself.

Treatment for ciguatera poisoning involves relieving the symptoms and treating any complications. Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. Irregular heart rhythms and low blood pressure may also be experienced. Ciguatera poisoning symptoms typically resolve within several days, but may last up to 4 weeks. The symptoms of ciguatera poisoning may resemble other medical conditions. In more severe cases, the person may suffer muscle pains, dizziness, and sensations of temperature reversal, where hot things seem cold and cold things seem hot. Numbness and tingling about the mouth and extremities However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms of ciguatera poisoning generally appear between a few minutes and 6 hours after the toxic fish has been eaten. These include a variety of gastrointestinal, neurological, and cardiovascular abnormalities. The following are the most common symptoms of ciguatera poisoning. What are the symptoms of ciguatera poisoning? More than 400 species of fish, particularly reef fish, are thought to contain the toxin for ciguatera poisoning. A few isolated cases of ciguatera poisoning have even been noted along the eastern seaboard of the United States. Cases have been reported in the United States in Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Reef fish from the tropical and subtropical waters of the West Indies, the Pacific Ocean, and the Indian Ocean pose the greatest threat.

Where is the risk of ciguatera poisoning the greatest? Two other forms of poisoning can happen from naturally occurring toxins in fish: tetrodotoxin, sometimes called pufferfish poisoning or fugu poisoning, and scombroid poisoning. The risk of ciguatera poisoning exists in all tropical and subtropical waters of the West Indies, the Pacific Ocean, and the Indian Ocean, where these reef fish are eaten. Cooking, marinating, freezing, or stewing does not destroy the toxin. Fish containing these toxins do not look, smell, or taste bad. Other types of fish that may contain the toxin at unpredictable times include sea bass and a wide range of tropical reef and warm-water fish. The CDC recommends never eating moray eel or barracuda. According to the CDC, it is considered an under-recognized risk for travelers, specifically in the tropics and subtropics.Ĭertain fish -groupers, barracudas, moray eel, sturgeon, sea bass, red snapper, amberjack, mackerel, parrot fish, surgeonfish, and triggerfish -can cause ciguatera fish poisoning. At certain times of the year, various species of fish and shellfish contain poisonous biotoxins, even if well cooked.

Fugu fish poison