CIGUATERA POISONING
Ciguatera poisoning refers to paralytic shellfish poisoning. The most common form is Ciguatera poisoning. In Ciguatera poisoning, the poisonous ingredient is ciguatoxin. This is a poison made in small amounts by certain algae and algae-like organisms called dinoflagellates. Small fish that eat the algae become contaminated. If larger fish eat a lot of the smaller, contaminated fish, the poison can build up to a dangerous level, which can make you sick if you eat the fish. Ciguatoxin is “heat-stable." That means it doesn’t matter how well you cook your fish, if the fish is contaminated, you will become poisoned.
(Medline Plus, Medical Encyclopedia, 2008)
