Ciguatera Fish Poisoning
什么是Ciguatera Fish Poisoning？
Ciguatera fish poisoning is the most common marine food poisoning with over 50,000 cases reported worldwide.
The organisms that produce the ciguatera toxins tend to grow on dead coral reefs, so the risk of acquiring ciguatera fish poisoning is likely to increase as coral reefs continue to die due to global warming, water pollution, direct damage, and other factors.
如何获得Ciguatera Fish Poisoning？
Ciguatera fish poisoning is acquired by eating large fish that have been contaminated with various toxins. The toxins (ciguatoxin, maitotoxin and others) come from small marine organisms, known as dinoflagellates, who live in coral reefs. The toxins are concentrated when these organisms are eaten by small fish that are then eaten by larger carnivorous fish.
易感性和抗性
Anyone who eats large reef-dwelling fish in tropical areas can get ciguatera fish poisoning.
症状是什么？
The initial symptoms of ciguatera fish poisoning can occur within one hour of eating contaminated fish and usually within 24 hours of consumption. These symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, as well as low blood pressure. Neurological symptoms can occur at the same time as the initial symptoms or follow 1 to 2 days later. Symptoms can persist for weeks to months afterwards. These symptoms include pain and weakness in the legs, tingling or numbness around the lips, hot-to-cold reversal (ice cream tastes hot and coffee tastes cold), vertigo, blurred vision, and pain in the teeth. In severe cases, the neurological symptoms can progress to coma and respiratory failure in the first 24 hours of illness.
Most people with ciguatera fish poisoning recover within a few weeks, however, symptoms can reappear intermittently in the following months or years. The mortality rate for ciguatera poisoning is only around 0.1 percent.
预防措施
最有可能引起雪茄中毒的鱼是大型（大于6磅）的食肉性礁鱼，例如a鱼，梭子鱼，石斑鱼，海鳗，鲈鱼或st鱼。其他有风险的鱼包括鹦鹉鱼，外科医生鱼和红鲷鱼。当煮熟，熏制，冷冻或通过其他任何食物制备方法时，不会破坏引起瓜瓜鱼中毒的毒素。毒素也集中在鱼类的某些部位，即肝脏，肠道，鱼卵和头部。如果必须吃高风险的鱼，应避免这些部位的鱼。
处理
There is no antidote for the toxins that cause ciguatera fish poisoning. Treatment involves supportive measures to lessen the impact of symptoms. The drug, mannitol, given intravenously, can dramatically reduce the length and severity of the symptoms, particularly if given early. This treatment can be life-saving in severe cases that may have progressed to coma without the intravenous mannitol.
它常见于哪里？
它发生在热带和亚热带海水中，尤其是在加勒比海以及太平洋和印度洋。
