Histamine Poisoning

Allergy like food intoxication is an adverse reaction to a food or food component occurring as result of the ingestion of chemical mediators of allergic disease.

Unusual diets can sometimes result in intoxication from chemicals that would normally be considered safe and desirable.

The only example of this type of reaction is histamine poisoning, also known as ‘scombroid fish poisoning,’ which is commonly associated with consumption of spoiled tuna, mackerel, mahi-mahi and other fish.

Histamine also been reported in connection with non-fish fermented food like cheeses and sauerkraut.

Following the ingestion of food containing high level of histamine, occurs with variety of symptoms. The primary symptoms are cutaneous – rash, urticaria, oedema, localized inflammation, gastro-intestinal – nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hemodynamic – hypotension and neurological – headache, tingling, burning, itching.

Histamine production in foods is by the decarboxylation of histidine though a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme histidine decarboxylase.

Histamine poisoning is an intoxication, so the incubation period is rather short, ranging from several minutes to a few hours after ingestion of the contaminated fish.
Histamine Poisoning