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Ciguatera is a foodborne illness caused by eating certain reef fish whose flesh is contaminated with a toxin made by dinoflagellates such as ''Gambierdiscus toxicus'' which live in tropical and subtropical waters. These dinoflagellates adhere to coral, algae and seaweed, where they are eaten by herbivorous fish which in turn are eaten by larger carnivorous fish. This is called biomagnification. ''Gambierdiscus toxicus'' is the primary dinoflagellate responsible for the production of a number of similar polyether toxins, including ciguatoxin, maitotoxin, gambieric acid and scaritoxin, as well as the long-chain alcohol palytoxin.〔Faust, MA and Gulledge RA. (Identifying Harmful Marine Dynoflagellates. ) Smithsonian Institution, Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. Volume 42:1-144. 2002.〕〔National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms, (Ciguatera Fish Poisoning ). Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.〕 Other dinoflagellates that may cause ciguatera include Prorocentrum spp., Ostreopsis spp., Coolia monotis, Thecadinium spp. and Amphidinium carterae.〔National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms, (Ciguatera Fish Poisoning: Causative organisms: ). Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.〕 Predator species near the top of the food chain in tropical and subtropical waters are most likely to cause ciguatera poisoning, although many other species cause occasional outbreaks of toxicity.〔FAO Agriculture and Consumer Protection. (Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) ) In: Marine Biotoxins, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 2004.〕 Ciguatoxin is odourless, tasteless and cannot be removed by conventional cooking.〔 Researchers suggest that ciguatera outbreaks caused by warm climatic conditions propelled the migratory voyages of Polynesians between 1000 and 1400.〔(Did fish poisoning drive Polynesian colonization of the Pacific? )〕 ==Signs and symptoms== Hallmark symptoms of ciguatera in humans include gastrointestinal and neurological effects. Gastrointestinal symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, usually followed by neurological symptoms such as headaches, muscle aches, paresthesia, numbness, ataxia, vertigo, and hallucinations.〔〔 Severe cases of ciguatera can also result in cold allodynia, which is a burning sensation on contact with cold.〔 Neurological symptoms can persist and ciguatera poisoning is occasionally misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis. Dyspareunia and other ciguatera symptoms have developed in otherwise healthy males and females following sexual intercourse with partners suffering ciguatera poisoning, signifying that the toxin may be sexually transmitted. Diarrhea and facial rashes have been reported in breastfed infants of poisoned mothers, suggesting that ciguatera toxins migrate into breast milk. The symptoms can last from weeks to years, and in extreme cases as long as 20 years, often leading to long-term disability. Most people do recover slowly over time. Often patients recover, but symptoms then reappear. Such relapses can be triggered by consumption of nuts, seeds, alcoholic beverages, fish or fish-containing products, chicken or eggs, or by exposure to fumes such as those of bleach and other chemicals. Exercise is also a possible trigger.〔 Filipino and Chinese people may be more susceptible to acquiring ciguatera. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ciguatera」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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