An illness caused by eating fish that has built up high levels of histamine because it was not kept cold enough after being caught.
Fish that naturally have high levels of the precursor compound, such as tuna, mackerel, mahi-mahi, sardines and anchovies, are the usual cause. Histamine builds up in these fish when they are not kept cold enough after being caught.
Symptoms appear quickly, often within minutes to a couple of hours, and include facial flushing, rash, headache, sweating, a peppery taste, palpitations, nausea and diarrhoea. It can look like an allergic reaction but is a chemical poisoning.
No. Histamine is heat-stable, so once it has formed in poorly chilled fish, cooking, canning or freezing will not destroy it. The fish cannot be made safe and must be discarded.
Keep susceptible fish cold from catch to plate at 5 degrees or below, check temperatures on delivery, minimise time out of refrigeration, and buy from reputable suppliers. Reject fish that arrives warm or smells sharp or ammonia-like.
No. It causes allergy-like symptoms but is a chemical poisoning from histamine that formed in the fish, not an immune reaction to the fish itself. Anyone can be affected if the fish contains enough histamine.