Scombroid Poisoning from Canned Tuna Ingestion

Authors

  • Thanjira Jiranantakan

Keywords:

Scombroid poisoning, histamine intoxication, scombrotoxin, tryptase, fish poisoning

Abstract

Fish allergy is well recognized, however scombroid poisoning or histamine fish poisoning, which exhibits identical clinical manifestations, is rarely diagnosed. We report the case of a 28-year-old female who, after eating tuna spaghetti, experienced a flushed face, generalized erythema, angioedema, shock and tachypnea requiring adrenaline, chlorpheniramine, ranitidine, and hydrocortisone injections. Her symptoms completely resolved within
3 hours. Her condition was diagnosed as scombroid poisoning based on temporality, normal serum tryptase levels (2.7 ng/mL) at 2.5 hours and at her baseline (2.5 ng/mL, 60 hours), as well as negative results on skin-prick test and re-challenging one can of the same branded-tuna orally. The revelant public health authorities were notified and a restaurant-visit was made, although the tuna can from which the patient’s dish was prepared had been discarded,
hence a histamine analysis of the tuna was unavailable. This case underscores the need for awareness of scombroid poisoning and public interventions regarding food safety.

Downloads

Published

19-08-2017

How to Cite

Jiranantakan, T. (2017). Scombroid Poisoning from Canned Tuna Ingestion. Siriraj Medical Journal, 69(4), 220–222. Retrieved from https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/sirirajmedj/article/view/96746

Issue

Vol. 69 No. 4 (2017): July-August

Section

Case Report

License

Users are free to share, copy, and redistribute all articles published in the Siriraj Medical Journal (SMJ) in any medium or format as long as you follow the following terms:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the material, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the publisher endorses you or your use.
  • NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
  • NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
  • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.