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Scombrotoxic fish poisoning in Britain: features of over 250 suspected incidents from 1976 to 1986

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

Barbara A. Bartholomew ,
P. R. Berry ,
Joanna C. Rodhouse ,
R. J. Gilbert  and
C. K. Murray
P. R. Berry
Affiliation:
Food Hygiene Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
Joanna C. Rodhouse
Affiliation:
Food Hygiene Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
R. J. Gilbert
Affiliation:
Food Hygiene Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
C. K. Murray
Affiliation:
Torry Research Station, 135 Abbey Road, Aberdeen AB9 8DG
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Summary

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Between 1976 and 1986, 258 incidents of suspected scombrotoxic fish poisoning were reported in Britain. Histamine analysis was carried out on 240 fish samples from these incidents, and 101 were found to contain > 5 mg histamine/100 g fish. The symptoms most consistently reported were rash, diarrhoea, flushing and headache. In recent years there has been a decrease in the number of confirmed scombrotoxic outbreaks and a trend towards more sporadic incidents. Of fish samples with > 20 mg histamine/100 g, 94% were from incidents in which scombrotoxic symptoms were characteristic, but where fish had 5–20 mg/100g only 38% of incidents were clinically distinctive. Guidelines are presented based on the interpretation of quantitative histamine analysis of fish samples from scombrotoxic poisoning incidents.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 99 , Issue 3 , December 1987 , pp. 775 - 782
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

References

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