Scombroid poisoning. Report of an outbreak

Area of Science:

• Foodborne illness
• Toxicology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Scombroid poisoning is a common foodborne illness.
• It is often associated with the consumption of fish that have undergone improper temperature control.
• Histamine accumulation in fish is the primary cause.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cause of a scombroid poisoning outbreak in San Francisco in 1977.
• To identify the specific fish product and causative agent.
• To understand the distribution of the toxic substance in the implicated food.

Main Methods:

• Epidemiological investigation of the outbreak.
• Laboratory analysis of implicated tuna for bacterial species.
• Chemical analysis of tuna flesh for histamine content.

Main Results:

• The outbreak was linked to sashimi made from spoiled tuna fish.
• Bacterial species capable of producing high levels of histamine were identified in the tuna.
• Histamine was found to be unevenly distributed within the tuna flesh.

Conclusions:

• Bacterial histamine production in spoiled tuna is the cause of scombroid poisoning.
• The uneven distribution of histamine explains why some individuals become ill while others consuming the same food do not.
• Prompt public health interventions are crucial in managing such outbreaks.