Seafood beware - a new threat of poisoning.

So this is interesting. The article is a little complicated to understand if you haven't taken a course about marine biology before though.

Basically, when corals die, algae growth blankets over the dead skeletal structures. This algae cover is a prefect for colonization by dinoflagellates (a type of plankton) of the Gambierdiscus genus. What's the big deal is that these microscopic organisms secrete toxins into the atmosphere which is ingested by fish and travels up the food chain in bioaccumulation. When humans eat the contaminated fish, they are infected by Ciguatera.

Bioaccumulation is a growing worry for humans. Toxins ingested by fish pass on to us when we eat them and humans can get sick at very high poisonous dosages because of it (the highest concentrations are in top predators, for example sharks - for mercury poisoning).

According to this article, in French Polynesia and in Caledonia (where the effect is particularly strong), about 100,000 people are severely infected annually. One of the most telling symptoms is a burning sensation in the mouth and throat after the fish has been eaten.

A similar effect has also been noted when giant clams have been consumed (although cyanobacteria is what causes it, and not the Gambierdiscus dinoflagellates).

The research study links that because global climate change can kill coral reefs (through bleaching) which then degrades the environment so that microrganisms like the ones describe in the article can thrive, global climate change therefore could not only express a sign of degraded fishing grounds, but also of the presence of emerging cardiovascular diseases and poisoning.

Watch what you eat.

posted by Sage @ 9/04/2008 07:28:00 PM Comments: 0