[Ciguatera (author's transl)].

Ciguatera poisoning may occur after eating fish, mainly in the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. It is caused by a toxin from a marine protozoon accumulating in fish via the food intake. The symptoms, consisting of severe gastrointestinal and neurologic manifestations, develop within a few hours; fatalities are rare. There is no specific therapy, symptomatic treatment is indicated. The disease is widely unknown in temperate climates but due to the increasing international travel the physician may be confronted with this kind of fish poisoning.