Ciguatera fish poison can now be detected!  Oceanit has created "Cigua-Check_®," the first commercialized ciguatera fish poison test kit in the world.  Cigua-Check_® is the only available immuno-reactive test kit designed to detect ciguatoxin in fish flesh.  The entire process can be done in under an hour right at your favorite fishing spot.  More information on "Cigua-Check_®" and ciguatera fish poisoning can be found at http://www.cigua.com.

Ciguatera fish poisoning is a neurological illness caused by eating reef fish that have accumulated a poison called ciguatoxin, which is produced by microscopic organisms that grow on the surface of marine algae. Carnivorous fish also accumulate ciguatoxin when they prey on these herbivorous fish.

Typical symptoms of ciguatera fish poisoning include:

• Tingling, numbness, or stinging sensations around mouth, hands, or feet

• Temperature reversal sensations (cold feels hot, hot feels cold)

• Body chills, itching, headaches, perspiration, or dizziness

• Muscle pains, weakness, cramps or joint aches

• Vomiting or diarrhea

There is no way to visually inspect a fish for ciguatoxin; nor can the toxin be destroyed by cooking, freezing, smoking, salting, or drying.  There are a lot of myths around about detecting ciguatoxin, but they are just myths as proven in laboratory studies (for a list of some myths, see the Ciguatera FAQ page at http://www.cigua.com). The only sure way to know if a fish is not ciguatoxic is to test any suspect fish with Cigua-Check_® fish poison test kit.