A business lunch turned to the nightmare for ten guests from a restaurant in Bruz, Ille-et-Vilaine, on May 27. After tasting a tuna tataki, these customers were victims of food poisoning, requiring emergency hospitalization. Three of them even had to be admitted in absolute emergency, but their vital prognosis is no longer committed.
All symptoms of a serious allergy
Shortly after the meal, the symptoms appeared quickly and left no respite to the patients: discomfort, vomiting, hives and heat puffs tortured consumers. Did tuna lack freshness? While the owner of the restaurant says, however, that all conservation standards have been respected, the health authorities suspect, however, poisoning for histamine, a syndrome still poorly known, but potentially serious. Histamine is a molecule that can accumulate in certain fish, such as tuna, in the event of a break in the cold chain.
Following the incident, an investigation was opened to determine the exact causes of poisoning. Samples have been taken from the dishes served and the results are pending. The restaurant concerned has been temporarily closed to allow investigations.
Understand Histamine intoxication
Histamine is a molecule naturally produced by the body and present at low doses in all fish. It forms when histidine, an amino acid contained in the fish, degrades under the action of bacteria. These bacteria can come from the skin, viscera or the marine environment.
The risk of histamine contamination depends on:
- The presence of bacteria during the capture and preparation of fish,
- The proliferation of these bacteria at all stages of conservation, especially if the cold chain is broken.
When they are spoiled, these fish thus release a larger amount of histamine that can cause allergic demonstrations once ingested. “This is called scromboid syndrome or scrombotoxism which generally results in redness, dizziness, headache as well as in digestive manifestations such as nausea or diarrhea”explained recently the allergist Maxime Hosotte in one of our articles.
Prevent food intoxications related to fish
Unfortunately, it is impossible to remove histamine from food during cooking, whether by freezing them, cook them, frying them or putting them in the microwave. To avoid poisoning for histamine, ANSES specifies that it is essential to:
- Quickly put the fish in the refrigerator or freeze it;
- Consume fresh fish within 24 hours of purchase;
- Do not leave the fish at room temperature or exposed to the sun;
- In case of freezing, defrost the fish quickly and consume it immediately;
- Never recongence a fish that has been deflected.
- Be attentive to signs of deterioration, such as a strong odor or a viscous texture.
In case of symptoms of poisoning after consumption of fish, it is recommended to consult a doctor immediately. “Keep the remains of the fish meal to allow analysis and search for histamine contamination or microorganisms if necessary” also concludes ANSES.