Ciguatera-Tainted Grouper Wreaking Havoc On Florida Stomachs
At least 10 people in Palm Beach have contracted ciguatera from grouper, and from the details given in this Palm Beach Post article, it sounds like hell:
With blurred vision, aching joints and burning skin, the men struggled to hold down food. At night, they itched so badly that they scratched parts of their skin off and couldn't sleep.In case you'd like some more details: you can get ciguatera from fish that feed in reefs and accumulate the ciguatoxin, which is found in reef algae. It causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tingling of the skin, muscle aches, and even hallucinations. Symptoms can last from weeks to years (!!!), and — we're quoting directly from Wikipedia here — "the most common old-time remedy involves bed rest subsequent to a Guanabana juice enema." Sounds like fun, no?The culprit: a dinner of yellowfin grouper that left the fishermen feeling as though they might die.
"It was the worst I've ever felt," said Tim Sperling, 52, of Jupiter, who along with John Ely, 50, of North Palm Beach, contracted ciguatera during a sport-fishing trip in the Bahamas in mid-June. "I didn't eat anything solid for eight days. I lost 14 pounds."
Aside from this fishing trip to the Bahamas that went very wrong, authorities have tied a few ciguatera cases to fish sold at a Whole Foods. Federal officials are trying to pinpoint the area where these toxic fish are hiding, so as to prohibit fishing there, but, well, given the government's recent inability to pinpoint the cause of the salmonella outbreak (and tomatoes don't move around!), we're not holding our breath. And we might stay away from the grouper for a while.
On the other hand, 14 pounds in eight days? Sounds like the next miracle diet ready to hit South Beach.
Men recount agony at sea after eating tainted grouper [Palm Beach Post]
Ciguatera [Wikipedia]
Photo, of a yellowfin grouper, so you know what you're up against: Scubaben/flickr
