Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Feb;50(1):64-9.
doi: 10.1007/s12016-015-8467-x.

Histamine (Scombroid) Fish Poisoning: a Comprehensive Review

Charles Feng  1 , Suzanne Teuber  1 , M Eric Gershwin  2
Affiliations
Review

Histamine (Scombroid) Fish Poisoning: a Comprehensive Review

Charles Feng et al. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2016 Feb.

Abstract

Histamine fish poisoning, also known as scombroid poisoning, is the most common cause of ichythyotoxicosis worldwide and results from the ingestion of histamine-contaminated fish in the Scombroidae and Scomberesocidae families, including mackerel, bonito, albacore, and skipjack. This disease was first described in 1799 in Britain and re-emerged in the medical literature in the 1950s when outbreaks were reported in Japan. The symptoms associated with histamine fish poisoning are similar to that of an allergic reaction. In fact, such histamine-induced reactions are often misdiagnosed as IgE-mediated fish allergy. Indeed, histamine fish poisoning is still an underrecognized disease. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment of scombroid disease. Because more than 80% of fish consumed in the USA is now imported from other countries, the disease is intimately linked with the global fish trade (National Marine Fisheries Service, 2012). Preventing future scombroid outbreaks will require that fishermen, public health officials, restaurant workers, and medical professionals work together to devise international safety standards and increase awareness of the disease. The implications of scombroid poisoning go far beyond that of fish and have broader implications for the important issues of food safety.

Keywords: Fish; Food safety; Histamine poisoning; Scombroid poisoning.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2010 Oct;39(2):95-141 - PubMed
    1. Food Chem. 2013 Aug 15;139(1-4):320-5 - PubMed
    1. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2014 Jun;46(3):258-71 - PubMed
    1. Int J Food Microbiol. 2000 Jun 30;58(1-2):1-37 - PubMed
    1. Cardiovasc Toxicol. 2011 Sep;11(3):280-3 - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources