ciguatera
sig-wuh-TEER-uh
Definition
A form of food poisoning caused by eating reef fish that have accumulated certain toxins produced by marine microorganisms.
Etymology
The word comes from the Spanish 'ciguatera,' which originated from 'cigua,' a name for the Caribbean marine snail 'Lithopoma tectum,' which was historically believed to be the source of the poisoning.
In the news
In the article, the term is used to note that despite the venomous spines of the lionfish, the fish meat itself is generally safe to eat, provided one follows local guidance regarding the risk of this specific type of toxin.
Aquarium releases probably seeded the Atlantic lionfish invasion; with females producing about two million eggs a year and almost no predators capable of controlling them, the fish colonised 7.3 million square kilometres of the western Atlantic and Caribbean
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com