Ciguatera Topic Once Again

[caradow]

Despite my previous discussions on Ciguatera I feel this should be rehashed.
I was born in the islands and have eaten a lot of Barracuda. But that was when I was young and have avoided it as an adult despite being one of the best tasting fish in the ocean.
Also as an ER doc while doing locums in the islands I have treated my share of this problem. These cases have ranged from simple vomiting and diarrhea to vascular instability necessitating an ICU and neurological symptoms.

However in my current stay in the islands I have seen Barracuda eaten from Antigua , the French Islands and the Grenadines.
Most islanders are adamant that Barracuda are fine below Martinque.
So I recently had a large piece of this fish in a restaurant on Bequia. I was fine and thought wow now I can eat my favorite fish again by just staying low in the Windwards
Until last week a friend of mine called me and said while he was on Union specifically Chatham Bay he had Barracuda and started with profuse diarrhea and vomiting for days then came a rash, tingling throughout his body that felt like worms were crawling under his skin . After days of this he is starting to improve.
So the real reason for this post is maybe eating Barracuda at this latitude in the past has been fine but because of climate change with warmer sea temperatures the coral is harboring more of the toxin than ever before?
I guess there is always a chance of a relatively few cases in an otherwise safe neighborhood but i will never eat Barracuda again.
Also while diving we are seeing a lot of large Lion fish and can'r help but wonder when they will harbor the same toxin?
Maybe there is an Oceanographer out there that can shed some light.

[SailingHarmonie]

Lets apply a little logic here...

The Grenadines are SOUTH of the Bahamas where ciguatera in barracuda is well known. The Grenadines are warmer, with warmer water than the Bahamas. Global warming would make the Grenadines even LESS LIKE the current Bahamas than they have been. This is an example of things attributed to global warming that make no sense and actually fuel more irrational skepticism of the real effects. But that aside...

Ciguatera is nasty, nasty stuff. We basically say NO to any fish that we do not know for CERTAIN was caught in water over 150 feet deep, or are exclusively pelagic--no matter what the locals say. That pretty much eliminates Barracuda. In fact, it eliminates any fish in a market or restaurant that we can not positively identify as an exclusively deep water fish, or that we have not caught ourselves. We never trust the label or menu to tell us what the fish actually is. Since we catch plenty of fish, that's not exactly a hardship for us.

[wholybee]

I am with SailingHarmonie here. Ciguatera moves season to season. Places that were not safe become safe, and places that were safe become not. One bay might be safe, and another only 1/4 mile away might have it. And locals are only a reliable source of information until it moves again. I have met locals in the Pacific Islands that got it from eating fish caught in areas known to locals to be safe. And I have known fish to be served in restaurants to have it. We are not starving, there is no reason to chance it.

And dang, it really sounds like a horrible illness. I am not taking any chances.

[caradow]

Well you may be right.
Also I know a person in Antigua who has been a fisherman all his life and got Ciguatera from a Mahi.
After repeated questioning he was adamant that he got it from a Mahi so we really don't know do we? He was avery reputable chap.......
Doesn't sound like it would happen very often statistically but not impossible .

[Tupaia]

I personally know of two deaths in the pacific attributed to ciguatera. These were both the result of toxins accumulated over many years and it did not result in a fatality until the toxins reached a tipping point. So even if you eat contaminated fish without knowing it, it tastes and smells the same, you could be building up grave problems in the future. Best to avoid.

[JPA Cate]

What we were taught is that the ciguatoxin builds up in one's liver, and is retained there, so once you've become symptomatic one time, it takes only a small amount for you to have symptoms.

Now, with global warming, and with more fish carrying ciguatoxin -- pelagic fish sometimes come in and feed in reef passages -- we may encounter a situation where some susceptible humans get selected out by it, because we are unlikely to quit eating fish unless it is shown time and again to now be toxic for us.

Ann

[GordMay]

Warming ocean temperatures have changed the range of where ciguatera flourishes: the water has become too warm for the toxic dinoflagellate to grow, in places where it once did, while it now flourishes farther north, where it used to be too cold.
Whether due to bleaching, increased hurricane activity, or reef degradation from human activities, I would also expect to see ciguatera flaring up, as reef health declines. Dinoflagellates live on a type of algae that thrives in dead reefs, and this algae is the preferred food for many reef fish.

A NOAA study [1], published in the journal Ecological Modeling, forecasts an increase in ciguatera fish poisoning, in the Gulf of Mexico and the U.S. Southeast Atlantic coast, with predicted rising global ocean temperatures, due to climate change.

Ciguatera-causing algae are abundant in the Caribbean, and ocean warming would enable some of those species to move northward, increasing its presence in the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. southeast Atlantic. Warmer temperatures could also mean larger and longer blooms of harmful algae, including those that produce ciguatoxins, like Gambierdiscus carolinianus, and Fukuyoa.

In the Caribbean, Gambierdiscus are already near the top of their preferred temperature range. Higher temperatures are likely to inhibit the growth of these cells, slightly decreasing the risk of ciguatera, in the Caribbean.

[1] “Effects of ocean warming on growth and distribution of dinoflagellates associated with ciguatera fish poisoning in the Caribbean” ~ by Steven R. Kibler, et al
➥ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030438001500383X

See also:

“Ciguatera Mini Review: 21st Century Environmental Challenges and the Interdisciplinary Research Efforts Rising to Meet Them” ~ by Christopher R. Loeffler, et al
➥ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7999458/

“... Ciguatera incidences are expected to increase, due to an accelerated expansion of the toxin-producing microalgae, which are based on forecasts and data-driven models of sea-level rise and warming waters [45,46] resulting from climate change and anthropogenic impacts ...”

“Ciguatera Fish Poisoning and Climate Change: Analysis of National Poison Center Data in the United States, 2001–2011" ~ by Daniel B. Gingold, et al
➥ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4050511/

“Warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are positively related to incidence of ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP). Increased severe storm frequency may create more habitat for ciguatoxic organisms. ...
... Conclusions: Using CFP calls as a marker of CFP incidence, these results clarify associations between climate variability and CFP incidence and suggest that, all other things equal, climate change could increase the burden of CFP. These findings have implications for disease prediction, surveillance, and public health preparedness for climate change ...”

“Food Poisoning from Marine Toxins” ~ CDC Yellow Book 2024
➥ https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2024/environmental-hazards-risks/food-poisoning-from-marine-toxins

“... Ciguatera is widespread in tropical and subtropical waters, usually between the latitudes of 35°N and 35°S, and is particularly common in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Caribbean Sea. The incidence and geographic distribution of ciguatera poisoning are increasing. Newly recognized areas of risk include Madeira and the Canary Islands, parts of the Mediterranean, and the western Gulf of Mexico ...”

[caradow]

Thank you very much GordMay for your review!