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| Gambierdiscus dinoflagellates ( from google) |
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| Gambierdiscus dinoflagellates (from google) |
After searching our Daytona State library one article titled "Epidemiology of Ciguatera in Florida" stood out. In this article the authors discuss their methods and results of searching out ciguatera cases in Florida. Their methods included sending out surveys to fishermen and people who could have had possible cases of ciguatera poisoning. From the study they gathered the following information from the people who could have had ciguatera; county of residence, age, gender, race and ethnicity, origin of fish, and case notes on fish meal. Then asked if they experienced any of the following symptoms during their bout with possible food poisoning (I say food poisoning because people commonly think that they only have food poisoning when it could really be ciguatera poisoning); “Have you ever experienced vomiting and/or diarrhea combined with numbness around the mouth or hands, or weakness in the legs, or reversal of hot and cold sensations after eating saltwater fish?” (and other questions). From this they were able to categorize the ciguatera Vs. the food poisoning cases and where the fish may have come from and what type of fish it was. The article also mentions the link between
Gambierdiscus dinoflagellates and how growth rates might be expected as water temperatures increase. While this article takes a different scientific approach of a survey then what I plan on doing with a collect and sample method, this article proves that the
Gambierdiscus dinoflagellates are in Florida (and provides ample amounts of information). So now its up to me to try and find them!
Most common three fish types consumed in ciguatera outbreaks reported to FDOH by ethnicity
| Type of fish | Confirmed outbreaks* (FDOH reports) | Likely and possible cases (fishermen survey) |
|---|
| Hispanic n (%) | Non-Hispanic n (%) | Hispanic n (%) | Non-Hispanic n (%) |
|---|
| Barracuda | 29 (76) | 3 (7) | 10 (24) | 19 (9) |
| Grouper | 4 (11) | 26 (58) | 6 (14) | 70 (34) |
| Amberjack | 0 | 7 (16) | 4 (10) | 12 (6) |
| Other | 5 (13) | 9 (20) | 22 (52) | 102 (50) |
| P value | < 0.0001 | 0.007 |
Reference:
Radke, E. G., Reich, A., & Morris, J. G. (2015). Epidemiology of Ciguatera in Florida.
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene,
93(2), 425–432. http://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.14-0400
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