Marine Life Poisoning
There are many toxic marine animals, so Divers should be extra careful when eating seafood.
Shellfish Poisoning
Clams, oysters, and scallops can be infected by dinoflagellates. Cooking the shellfish does not affect the toxin, so humans will still be poisoned if they eat contaminated shellfish.
- Symptoms
Warning signs of shellfish poisoning can be within 30 minutes. These include numbness or prickling sensation in the face, lips, and tongue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. If the case is severe and symptoms develop, it may result to respiratory arrest or paralysis.
- Prevention and Treatment
Refrain from eating shellfish if you experience symptoms. Induce vomiting to empty the stomach. Give respiratory support as well as monitoring when necessary.
Ciguatera Poisoning
This is caused by consumption of some coral reef fish that feed on certain dinoflagellates attached to algae which usually dwell in coral reef systems. The ciguatoxin is not detectable by appearance, taste, or smell and is not affected by heat or cooking. Similarly, it does not alter the taste, odor, and color of the fish. Algae are eaten and are noted to accumulate in large and plant-eating fish species such as barracuda, Spanish mackerel, surgeon fish, skipjack tuna, sea perch, dolphin fish, and sea bass.
- Symptoms
Gastrointestinal symptoms include nausea, dyspepsia, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. These warning signs may lead to dehydration. The victim may also experience salivation, chills, sweating, dizziness, and neck stiffness.
- Prevention and Treatment
It is important to seek medical help on treatment for ciguatera poisoning.
Since ciguatoxin is not detectable by odor, taste, or appearance, the best that you can do to avoid ciguatera poisoning is to steer clear of contaminated fish. Avoid eating very large reef fish, especially their internal organs. Ciguatoxins may directly penetrate the skin, so observe proper hygiene when handling organs of fish suspected to be carriers of ciguatoxin.
Scombroid Fish Poisoning
This type of food poisoning is caused by consumption of fish that have high levels of histamine. It is caused by the buildup of histamine in scombroid species such as mackerel, tuna, butterfly kingfish, and kahawai. These species have histidine in their bodies. If not chilled properly after being caught, bacteria within the fish will start converting histidine into histamine. The toxin is not affected by freezing or cooking.
- Symptoms
Symptoms will be seen or experience half an hour after eating contaminated fish. Warning signs of scombroid fish poisoning include flushing, tingling and burning feeling in the mouth, reddish and itchy rashes usually develop on the upper back, chest, face, and neck, headache, dizziness, nausea, difficulty in breathing, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and collapse due to low blood pressure.
- Prevention and Treatment
Seek medical help if you have the symptoms. Antihistamines can effectively deal with the warning signs of scombroid fish poisoning.
Proper handling of fish after being caught is crucial in avoiding scombroid fish poisoning. Keep freshly caught fish refrigerated or put it in ice.
Toxic marine animals are dangerous to humans. Make sure to take extra precaution when handling seafood.
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