Epidemiology and Toxicology of Ciguatera Poisoning in the Colombian Caribbean
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Fecha
2020
Autores
Navarro Quiroz, Roberto
Herrera-Usuga, Juan Carlos
Osorio-Ospina, Laura Maria
Garcia-Pertuz, Katia Margarita
Navarro Quiroz, Elkin
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MDPI
Resumen
Ciguatera is a food intoxication caused by the consumption of primarily coral
fish; these species exist in large numbers in the seas that surround the Colombian territory.
The underreported diagnosis of this clinical entity has been widely highlighted due to multiple factors,
such as, among others, ignorance by the primary care practitioner consulted for this condition as well
as clinical similarity to secondary gastroenteric symptoms and common food poisonings of bacterial,
parasitic or viral etiology. Eventually, it was found that people a ected by ciguatoxins had trips to
coastal areas hours before the onset of symptoms. Thanks to multiple studies over the years, it has
been possible to identify the relation between toxigenic dinoflagellates and seagrasses, as well as its
incorporation into the food chain, starting by fish primarily inhabiting reef ecosystems and culminating
in the intake of these by humans. Identifying the epidemiological link, its cardinal symptoms and
a ected systems, such as gastrointestinal, the peripheral nervous system and, fortunately with a
low frequency, the cardiovascular system, leads to a purely clinical diagnostic impression without
necessitating further complementary studies; in addition, what would also help fight ciguatera
poisoning is performing an adequate treatment of the symptoms right from the start, without
underestimating or overlooking any associated complications.
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Palabras clave
Ciguatoxins, Dinoflagellates, Intoxication, Mannitol
