Allergy-Like Food Intoxication

Allergy-like intoxication can occur with certain foods. Although this form of food poisoning is sometimes clinically confused with food allergy it is distinctly different because all consumers would be potentially susceptible.

Histamine poisoning is the most commonly encountered allergy-like intoxication. Outbreaks of histamine intoxication, sometimes referred to as scombroid fish poisoning, occur with some frequency in the United States, Europe, Japan and other countries.

Histamine poisoning is the result of consuming foods containing high level of histamine. All consumers are susceptible to histamine poisoning.

Histamine formation in foods is associated with the growth of bacteria possessing the enzyme histidine decarboyxlase that is able to covert the amino acid hisditine into histamine. The symptoms of histamine poisoning resemble those experienced during an allergic reaction.
Allergy-Like Food Intoxication