Seafood Poisoning

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Types of Illnesses

Vibrio vulnificus is a naturally occurring bacteria in warm, brackish seawater. Most people get vibriosis by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters.

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Ciguatoxin is a naturally-occurring marine toxin found in large predatory reef fish. These fish accumulate ciguatoxin when they eat fish that have consumed algae containing the toxin. People can become sick with ciguatera fish poisoning when they eat the predatory reef fish (barracuda and moray eel, but can also include grouper, amberjack, snapper, tuna, kingfish, trevally, sea bass, mackerel, etc.)

• Symptoms usually show up within 24 hours of eating impacted fish. Symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and cramping usually appear first, followed by potential itchy skin and achy teeth, muscles, or joints. Some people experience painful urination or a tingling sensation in their arms and legs. A very strange symptom is temperature reversal: hot can feel cold and cold can feel hot.
• Cooking fish does not get rid of the ciguatoxin. Gastric acid (or marinades of vinegar, lemons, and limes), smoking, freezing, canning, salting, or pickling also do not get rid of the ciguatoxin.
• It is difficult to know if a fish has the toxin because the toxin does not affect the texture, taste, or smell of a fish.
• For all reef fish, never eat the liver, intestines, roe, and head, as the highest concentrations of toxin have been found in these tissues.
• If CFP has been reported in your area, avoid eating reef fish until the advisory has been lifted.

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Eating shellfish contaminated with naturally-occurring brevetoxins can cause NSP. Clams, mussels, oysters, and scallops are filter feeders that can concentrate toxins. If harvested from areas with harmful algal blooms, they can be contaminated with the toxins. In addition, marine gastropods, such as conch and whelk, feed off these shellfish so they can also potentially be contaminated. Your safest choice is to not harvest or eat these shellfish in red tide affected areas.

• NSP symptoms include: nausea and vomiting, tingling of the mouth, lips, and tongue and slurred speech and dizziness. Neurological symptoms can progress to partial paralysis and respiratory problems.
• Cooking, heating, or freezing shellfish does not get rid of the toxins. Toxins do not affect the texture, taste, or smell of shellfish.
• Do not harvest or eat shellfish from shellfish harvesting areas that are closed. Commercially available fish and shellfish, from a grocery store or restaurant, for example, are generally safe to eat.
• The muscle of scallops harvested in areas where there are HABs is safe to eat. Scallop muscle is generally free of toxin, but the rest of the scallop is not. Other shellfish seafood such as crabs, lobsters, and shrimp can be eaten because they are not affected, but do not eat their tomalley (green stuff, hepatopancreas).

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PSP is caused by saxitoxin—a naturally-occurring marine toxin. In Florida, this toxin is usually found in puffer fish, but can also be found in shellfish.

• Saxitoxin can cause serious illness. About 5-30 minutes after eating a contaminated puffer fish, there may be a sensation of tingling and numbness of the face and neck, which can also spread to the arms and legs. Other symptoms may include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, rapid onset of pain, and kidney problems. You could also have trouble breathing, swallowing, and speaking. In very severe cases, paralysis can occur.
• Cooking puffer fish does not get rid of the saxitoxin. The toxin does not affect the texture, taste, or smell of the fish.
• To ensure safety, avoid eating puffer fish.

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