| الوصف: |
Ciguatera food poisoning (CFP) is widespread in tropical and sub-tropical waters, and it is the most common food poisoning caused by marine biotoxins. The toxins involved, ciguatoxins, are produced by certain dinoflagellates of the genus Gambierdiscus, and undergo biotransfer and biomagnification up the foodweb to planktivorous and ultimately, top predator fishes. In this paper, we reviewed the factors and processes that regulate the production of ciguatoxins, the ecological distribution and the pathways of their biotransfer, and fish consumption guidelines to prevent ciguatera related food poisoning. Warm waters are commonly suggested as the most important factor that enhances toxic algal blooms and ciguatoxin production. Ecological distribution of ciguatoxic fish shows great regional specificity. In most endemic areas, carnivores such as groupers and other large fish have higher toxicity than their herbivorous and smaller counterparts, supporting the food chain hypothesis proposed by Randall (1958); while in other areas, for example, French Polynesia, the opposite situations also exist, questioning the biomagnification hypothesis. Some countries and regions have taken measurements to prevent ciguatera poisoning through consumption guidelines. In this review, we look at some of the measures that could be used to prevent poisoning, while encouraging people to consume fish. For example, choosing smaller and lower trophic level fish are likely to be safer to consume. We suggest an approach to maintain better databases on ciguatera cases to instruct people on fish consumption safety, and develop a general guideline for fish consumption to reduce CFP. ; The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was ... |
