Ciguatera — Parameters of a tropical health problem

摘要

Ciguatera fish poisoning is a significant health and resource problem in the tropical world, largely because of its uneven and unpredictable distribution in space and through time. Here, the problem is reviewed with evidence from the Pacific Basin. The contemporary distribution of ciguatera and the species commonly perceived to be toxic are considered and a hypothesis relating the greater prevalence of ciguatera in the eastern Pacific to reduced species diversity is presented. The problem is also considered as a public health phenomenon (the mean reported incidence for the Pacific region as a whole in 1981 was 109/100,000) and attention is given to island dwellers' adaptation to the problem, their explanations of its etiology, as well as its detection, prophylaxis, and cure.