Just a quickie. Has Ciguatere posioing been recorded in Thailand ? Although it is relativity unknown sickness, it is most unpleasant from what I understand. My father,a Dr(gastro), always told me to avoid eating reef fish ....mostly reef sharks, barracuda and coral trout/cod(not sure)

I have no idea if it is in Thailand. But, every supermarket I walk into here has Barracuda on ice . I love fish , probably every second day we chow down on a fish on the bbq.

Is it safe to eat reef fish ? Thanks

Sorry I cant give any proper hard facts but , havin spent loads of time there and eaten just about everything on show, in Bkk and down by the seeeeaaaa, yeeaah , the only time I usually have a problem is when I get back to Blighty and start eatin stodgy food again . Sea food and eat it, just make sure it looks right and smells right. I think the usual rules apply, enjoy it don't worry about it.

redrus

Sorry I cant give any proper hard facts but , havin spent loads of time there and eaten just about everything on show, in Bkk and down by the seeeeaaaa, yeeaah , the only time I usually have a problem is when I get back to Blighty and start eatin stodgy food again . Sea food and eat it, just make sure it looks right and smells right. I think the usual rules apply, enjoy it don't worry about it.

redrus

Redrus, u aint got nothing to be sorry about mate. Us convicts owe u guys alot for fish and chips. I too never had any prob with Thai seafood , except a few too many green mussels.....make me crap like Naigra Falls....Christopher Reeve aint in sight to save me:P

Maybe I am crazy, but I am sure there is such a thing as ciguatere? where the hel_l is a Dr Pepe when u need him

Lol.

redrus

Sorry I cant give any proper hard facts but , havin spent loads of time there and eaten just about everything on show, in Bkk and down by the seeeeaaaa, yeeaah , the only time I usually have a problem is when I get back to Blighty and start eatin stodgy food again . Sea food and eat it, just make sure it looks right and smells right. I think the usual rules apply, enjoy it don't worry about it.

redrus

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Redrus, u aint got nothing to be sorry about mate. Us convicts owe u guys alot for fish and chips. I too never had any prob with Thai seafood , except a few too many green mussels.....make me crap like Naigra Falls....Christopher Reeve aint in sight to save me:P

Maybe I am crazy, but I am sure there is such a thing as ciguatere? where the hel_l is a Dr Pepe when u need him

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I am sure there are cases of ciguatera in Thailand, but diagnosis is often missed by doctors. Micro organisms have been found in the Gulf of Thailand during research. At least it's extremely rarely fatal, but the worst part is it's compounded by alcohol intake I hope I never catch it. If you only eat fish that will fit on your dinner plate when whole, you will be safe. It's no good looking and smelling the fish, as most people catching the disease say "It was the best fish I've ever had". It is impossible to detect!

Believe it is the local conditions in the area the fish feed that is a concern and do not know the status in Thailand. Off the coast of West Africa we considered Barracuda safe to eat at any age (and one of the few good tasting foods available). Believe in North American they are not considered safe after a young age. With everything else we have to worry about I would not be too concerned unless it was my staple diet.

Believe it is the local conditions in the area the fish feed that is a concern and do not know the status in Thailand.  Off the coast of West Africa we considered Barracuda safe to eat at any age (and one of the few good tasting foods available).  Believe in North American they are not considered safe after a young age.  With everything else we have to worry about I would not be too concerned unless it was my staple diet.

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Where I come from, the Barracuda normally have worms in their fresh....It would be a cold day in h3ll before I got my laughing gear around and Barracuda at all!

It's no good looking and smelling the fish, as most people catching the disease say "It was the best fish I've ever had". It is impossible to detect!

Like I said, "no hard facts". Personally, I have never had a problem also, all of the people that I've travelled with have never had a problem. Alchohol may be factor and, a good one too, I'll carry on drinking.

All said, I too hope I never contract this but, my point was, I'll not let it worry me.

redrus

As another poster mentioned, ciguatera is impossible to detect in fish. The fish will look, smell and taste fine. The toxin is also water soluble; no amount of cooking will neutralize it. Ciguatera originates in mircoorganisms which are normally found in reefs. The toxin works its way up the food chain and can be found in certain grouper species and other large reef fish. It's been said that eating barracuda from Florida waters (where I'm from) is relatively safe if the fish weigh less than 20 pounds but I wouldn't trust that old statement. In some parts of the world eating inshore fish is risky certain times of the year whereas during other times they maybe safe. The same goes for fish found on one side of an island versus the other side, etc. Fish caught way out in the open ocean are safe to eat. People involved in commercial fishing should know their stuff so buying fish from reputable markets is generally safe. I would think that most cases of ciguatera come from those fish caught by sportsmen.