The toxic fish were harvested in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, near the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, which is located in federal waters south of the Texas-Louisiana coastline.
The incidence of CFP has been reported in grouper, snapper, amberjack and barracuda fish that feed on fish that have eaten toxic marine algae. The toxins that cause ciguatera cannot be destroyed by cooking or freezing, and toxic fish do not look or taste differently from non-toxic fish. The only way to detect CFP is through laboratory testing, the FDA said.
The illnesses were linked to fish caught near the marine sanctuary; the FDA said adding that seafood processors who purchase reef fish and other potentially ciguatoxic fish directly from fishermen should reconsider their current hazard analyses and update them from the agency.
Symptoms of ciguatera poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, headache, vertigo and muscular weakness. There also can be cardiovascular problems, including irregular heartbeat and reduced blood pressure.
Symptoms usually appear within hours after eating a toxic fish and go away within a few weeks. However, in some cases, neurological symptoms can last for months to years.
There is no antidote for CFP; symptoms can be treated most effectively if diagnosed by a doctor with 72 hours and it is rarely fatal.
