ciguatera

[carolina girl]

We have 2 people who we think got ciguatera fish poisoning in Marsh Harbour in late March 2008. Do you know of anyone who has gotten in that area before?

[ModeratorXXX]

There are several threads discussing ciguatera. Use the search option to learn more about it. Sorry it affected you, or members of your party.

[carolina girl]

Thanks for responding. I checked out the other messages. I had heard about it at the other islands but not Marsh Harbour and was curious. Since it's hard to diagnose I was wondering if anyone had heard of it in that area. We only ate at 2 restaurants and we had grouper and a lot of red snapper. We go there often and this is the first time any of us have gotten sick. The neurological symptoms are difficult to live with and this has been going on over 2 months.

[R]

Ciguatera is present in the Abacos.
Grouper are more likely to carry the toxin, but it could be the Snapper as well.
The symptoms usually come on quite quickly after your meal if that is of any help.
R.

[PattyB]

Yes, neuropathic disorder, and the pain associated with it is very difficult to live with. Ciguatera, lyme, shingles, and spinal cord injury have much in common. The pain is the same. I live with a spinal cord injury, so I understand what you are talking about.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know if the fish served will infect you with ciguatera. The best rule-of-thumb is to not eat reef fish larger than a frying pan. Size is not easy to tell when you are served a lovely hunk of fish fillet. Don't blame the restaurants in Marsh Harbour. You could get ciguatera by consuming fish caught anywhere along the coast of Florida and throughout the Caribbean.

Once infected, one should take caution with what fish they eat in the future. Ciguatera never leaves the body. If one consumes another infected fish, it can return with a vengeance. Stick with conch or pan fish in the future.

I hope you find relief soon.

[R]

There is no risk in eating offshore fish like: Dolphin, Tuna, and Wahoo.

The toxin occurs in reef fish - smaller, younger fish have less, the big older members of the reef fish species will have more and are more of a risk.

Avoid large Cudas, Amberjacks, Grouper, Hogfish, and Cubera Snapper.

R.

[Motuiti]

From Clemson

check out a report by Clemson Univ. It's all you need to know concise and straight forward.

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic3661.htm

-Sandy