How do people get scombroid fish poisoning?
Fish in the Scombridae family (tuna, mackerel, skipjack and bonito) are the most common vehicles for scombroid fish poisoning. Other fish, however, have been implicated in scombroid fish poisoning, and include mahi mahi, bluefish, marlin, and escolar. When susceptible fish are not promptly and continuously refrigerated, bacteria can metabolize naturally occurring histimine to produce scombrotoxin, which consists of histamine and other amines. The presence of 50 parts per million (ppm) or more histamine in fish is indicative of decomposition whether or not there is gross evidence of spoilage, such as bad odor. When illness results, histamine levels in implicated fish have commonly been at least 200 ppm and often greater than 500 ppm. Histamine is heat resistant and can, therefore, cause illness even when fish is properly canned or cooked thoroughly. While some contaminated fish will not show any outward signs of spoilage, others will show such signs as a bad odor. Cooked fish that has s
