Histamine Food Poisoning: Toxicology and Clinical Aspects

Abstract

Histamine poisoning can result from the ingestion of food containing unusually high levels of histamine. Fish are most commonly involved in incidents of histamine poisoning, although cheese has also been implicated on occasion. The historic involvement of tuna and mackerel in histamine poisoning led to the longtime usage of the term, scombroid fish poisoning, to describe this food-borne illness. Histamine poisoning is characterized by a short incubation period, a short duration, and symptoms resembling those associated with allergic reactions. The evidence supporting the role of histamine as the causative agent is compelling. The efficacy of antihistamine therapy, the allergic-like symptomology, and the finding of high levels of histamine in the implicated food suggest strongly that histamine is the causative agent. However, histamine ingested with spoiled fish appears to be much more toxic than histamine ingested in an aqueous solution. The presence of potentiators of histamine toxicity in the spoiled fish may account for this difference in toxicity. Several potentiators including other putrefactive amines such as putrescine and cadaverine have been identified. Pharmacologic potentiators may also exist; aminoguanidine and isoniazid are examples. The mechanism of action of these potentiators appears to be the inhibition of intestinal histamine-metabolizing enzymes. This enzyme inhibition causes a decrease in histamine detoxification in the intestinal mucosa and results in increased intestinal uptake and urinary excretion of unmetabolized histamine.

Biogenic amines, amino acids and microflora changes in Indian mackerel (Rastrellinger kanagurta) stored at ambient (25–29 °C) and ice temperature (0 °C)

“…The intoxication symptoms are usually mild including reddening on the face, neck and upper chest, vomiting, flushing, nausea and abdominal cramps. Putrescine and cadaverine could enhance the toxicity of histamine by inhibiting diamine oxidase involved in histamine metabolism (Taylor 1986). Whilst tyramine is reported to induce migraine, increase blood pressure and cause hypertension (Shalaby 1996).…”

“…During fish spoilage, bacterial decarboxylases catalyze the conversion of amino acids into biogenic amines. Scombroid poisoning incidents were frequently caused by the consumption of scombroid fish such as mackerel, bonito, tuna, and saury which are rich in histidine (Taylor 1986). However, the available literatures generate inconsistent results on the correlation between the formation of amines and their precursors, amino acids.…”

Biogenic Amines in Wine: Understanding the Headache

“…However, if an excessive amount of biogenic amines is ingested or if the normal catabolic routes are inhibited or genetically deficient, several physiological disorders can occur (ten Brink et al, 1990). Histamine poisoning is sometimes referred to as "scombroid fish poisoning" due to illness resulting from consumption of fish such as tuna, mackerel and sardines; while high levels of tyramine in cheese causes a phenomenon known as the "cheese reaction" (Taylor, 1986;ten Brink et al, 1990). These false food allergies are of particular importance in wine, because the presence of ethanol, acetaldehyde and other biogenic amines may promote the harmful effects of histamine and tyramine by inhibiting their normal metabolism in humans (Landete et al, 2006).…”

An Outbreak of Histamine Poisoning after Ingestion of the Ground Saury Paste in Eight Patients Taking Isoniazid in Tuberculous Ward

“…It is also reported that histamine poisoning occurs more frequently in individuals with allergic inheritance (19,20). Our patients had no prior history of allergic diseases, their eosinophil counts were normal, and the IgE level of only case 4 was slightly high ( Table 1).…”