High Levels Of Histamine Research Articles

Bacterial contribution to histamine and other biogenic amine content in Juk (Korean Traditional Congee) cooked with seafood

Eight representative types of juk (Korean traditional congee) cooked with seafood, and plain juk were analyzed for biogenic amine content. Results revealed that while plain juk contains no biogenic amines, juk prepared with seafood has a high level of histamine, ranging from 120 to 170 mg/kg. The seafood used in juk preparation contained different concentrations of histamine, ranging from 60 to 300 mg/kg. No other biogenic amines were detected in most juk and seafood samples. The bacterial contribution to the biogenic amine content in selected seafood was evaluated by analyzing the bacterial distribution and ability to produce biogenic amines. Strains of Achromobacter, Staphylococcus, and Micrococcus that are capable of producing biogenic amines are the dominant genera in the seafood tested. Therefore, this study suggests that the levels of dominant bacteria need to be controlled to reduce the amounts of biogenic amines in seafood and, thereby, in juk prepared with seafood.

Heat Resistance of Histamine-Producing Bacteria in Irradiated Tuna Loins

Consumption of foods high in biogenic amines leads to an illness known as histamine, or scombrotoxin, poisoning. The illness is commonly associated with consumption of fish with high levels of histamine ( $ 500 ppm). The objective of this study was to determine and compare the heat resistance of five histamine-producing bacteria in irradiated albacore tuna loins. Heat-resistance parameters (D- and z-values) were determined for Morganella morganii, Raoultella planticola, Hafnia alvei, and Enterobacter aerogenes. D- or z-values were not determined for Photobacterium damselae, which was the most heat-sensitive organism in this study. P. damselae declined > 5.9 log CFU/g after a heat treatment of 50°C for 10 min, 54°C for 3 min, and 56°C for 0.5 min. M. morganii was the most heat-resistant histamine-producing bacteria in albacore tuna loins, followed by E. aerogenes, H. alvei, and R. planticola. M. morganii and E. aerogenes had the highest D(50°C), 49.7 ± 17.57 and 51.8 ± 17.38 min, respectively. In addition, M. morganii had the highest D-values for all other temperatures (54, 56, and 58°C) tested. D- and zvalues were also determined for M. morganii in skipjack tuna. While no significant (P > 0.05) difference was observed between D(54°C) and D(56°C) of M. morganii in either albacore or skipjack tuna, the D(58°C) (0.4 ± 0.17 min) was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in skipjack than in albacore (0.9 ± 0.24 min). The z-values for all organisms tested were in the range of 3.2 to 3.8°C. This study suggests that heat treatment designed to control M. morganii in tuna loins is sufficient for controlling histamine-producing bacteria in canned-tuna processing environments.

Importance of Histamine-Producing Clostridium perfringens in Scombrotoxin-Forming Fish

It has been suggested that anaerobic histamine-producing bacteria (HPB) are important contributors to scombrotoxin fish poisoning (SFP). In order to assess the role of Clostridium perfringens in SFP, we developed a real-time PCR method for rapid detection of histamine-producing (HP) C. perfringens. The real-time PCR assay was 100% inclusive for detecting 23 HP C. perfringens and did not detect any of the other 116 HP or non-HP isolates examined. The efficiency of the assay with or without internal amplification control DNA was 102%; in the presence of background flora and inhibitory matrices, it was 90 to 99%. To investigate the importance of HP C. perfringens in SFP, we examined histamine production by C. perfringens in inoculated fish samples incubated under anaerobic conditions. C. perfringens produced low histamine levels in tuna (19 ppm) and Spanish mackerel (3 ppm), whereas gram-negative HPB produced high histamine levels (6,345 ppm in tuna; 1,223 ppm in Spanish mackerel) under the same conditions. When one bonito, two bigeye tuna, nine mahi-mahi, and five yellowfin tuna were examined for the presence of HPB, none (0 of 17) of the samples contained HP C. perfringens or other gram-positive HPB, whereas 86% of the samples contained gram-negative HPB. Our study indicates that histamine production by C. perfringens in scombrotoxin-forming fish was minimal compared with that by gram-negative HPB and that C. perfringens may not be an important bacterial species associated with SFP.

Histamine transport and metabolism are deranged in salivary glands in Sjogren's syndrome

To study histamine transport and metabolism of salivary gland (SG) epithelial cells in healthy controls and SS patients. Enzymes and transporters involved in histamine metabolism were analysed in cultured human submandibular salivary gland (HSG) epithelial cells and tissue sections using quantitative real-time PCR and immunostaining. HSG cells were used to study [(3)H]histamine uptake [(±1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP)] and efflux by liquid scintillation counting. mRNA levels of l-histidine decarboxylase (HDC) and histamine-N-methyltransferase (HNMT) were similar in the control and SS glands, but diamine oxidase was not expressed at all. Organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3) in healthy SG was localized in the acinar and ductal cells, whereas OCT2 was restricted to the myoepithelial cells. Both transporters were significantly decreased in SS at mRNA and protein levels. OCT3-mRNA levels in HSG cells were significantly higher than those of the other studied transporters. Uptake of [(3)H]histamine was inhibited by MPP in a time-dependent manner, whereas [(3)H]histamine-preloaded HSG cells released it. Ductal epithelial cells are non-professional histamine-producing cells able to release histamine via OCTs at the resting state up to ∼100 nM, enough to excite H3R/H4R(+) epithelial cells, but not H1R, which requires burst release from mast cells. At the stimulated phase, 50-60 μM histamine passes from the interstitial fluid through the acinar cells to saliva, whereas uptake by ductal cells leads to intracellular degradation by HNMT. OCT3/histamine/H4R-mediated cell maintenance and down-regulation of high histamine levels fail in SS SGs.

Histamine and tyramine production by bacteria isolated from spoiled sardine (Sardina pilchardus)

Bacterial strains (32) from spoiled sardine were isolated and investigated for their ability to produce histamine and tyramine in histidine and tyrosine decarboxylase broth, respectively by a rapid highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The predominant microflora of sardine consisted of the genera Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, Chryseobacterium, Vibrio, Photobacterium , and Stenotrophomonas . In histidine-enriched broth, the highest levels of histamine were observed in Proteus mirabilis (5201.95 mg/L), followed by Enterobacter cloacae (2333.99 mg/L), whilst the lowest histamine accumulation was found for Kluyvera spp. and Listeria monocytogenes at the level of 0.38 and 0.45 mg/L, respectively. However, Pseudomonas oryzihabitans, Chryseobacterium indologenus and Vibrio vulnificus showed the highest accumulation of tyramine in tyrosine decarboxylase broth with values of 1648.85, 774.20 and 187.96 mg/L, respectively. Serratia liquefaciens produced more than 1000 mg/L putrescine in both enrichment broths, although Serratia rulnidace did not have the ability to produce amines (except for dopamine, serotonin and agmatine) in tyrosine decarboxylase broth. The study results show that P. mirabilis and Enterobacter cloacae , which were dominantly found in spoiled sardine, were strong amine producers. Keywords : Biogenic amines, histamine, tyramine, spoilage, sardine African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(21), pp. 3288-3295

Histamine levels in commercially important fresh and processed fish of Oman with reference to international standards

Histamine was investigated in fresh (378), frozen (441), canned (290) and dried (24) fish samples of scombroid and non-scombroid species of Oman using a high performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector. Of the 1133 fish samples tested, histamine was detected in 551 samples with a detection rate of about 41.8% among fresh fish, 61.0% of frozen fish, 78.9% of canned fish and 91.6% of dried fish samples and the mean histamine levels were 2.6, 5.8, 3.1 and 104mgkg−1, respectively. A total of 3.7% and 0.79% of the total samples exceeded the FDA and EU regulatory limits for histamine. Imported dried anchovies contained high histamine levels. The study confirms that post catching and commercialisation practices of seafood are adequate, warranting good quality fish and may not cause histamine risk to consumer in terms of human diet. While necessary monitoring may be done for imported dried fish products.

Comment to: The chemical mediators of some sclerotherapy complications (Les médiateurs chimiques dans certaines complications de la sclérothérapie), by Ferrara F, Ferrara G. Phlébologie 2012;65:27-31.

To evaluate the chemical reaction of the venous wall to different sclerosing agents, the Authors studied the level of blood histamine concentration before and 8-10 min after sclerotherapy injection into large 3-6 mm subcutaneous varices. A total of 45 sessions were studied: a solution of iodine 2% was used in 15 (group A), liquid 2% polidocanol in 15 (group B), polidocanol 0.5% foam in 15 (group C). Histamine basal level was 4.49, 4.48 and 4.52 µg/100 mL, respectively, while after injection an increase was found of 4.50 (102%), 4.42 (99%) and 4.46 (100%) µg/100 mL, respectively. No significant relationship was found between agents and reactions. In C group, 2 cases had visual symptoms, both showing an 150% increase in histamine. Migraine with aura seems to be associated with high hematic levels of histamine. High histamine levels caused by sclerotherapy may explain the visual symptoms frequently reported after treatments. In fact, histamine is a vessel vasoconstrictor (venous spasm) but also a small artery vasodilator (hypotension). It could, therefore, mediate these minor sclerotherapy complications. For this reason, an antihistaminic pre-medication could be justified. The recently suggested endotheline hypothesis could support this.

OCCURANCE OF HISTAMINE IN FISH PRODUCTS ON MARKET

Histamine fish poisoning is quite common and occur in consequence of microbial decarboxylase whose activity begin early in the post-mortem but are triggered in consequence of abuse in the shelf life of fish products. In this study forty-eight samples of tuna, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, fresh or processed were sampled from fish shops and supermarkets in the City of Bologna in the period from January to July 2010. Concentration of histamine was assessed using ELISA quantitative test and presence of psicrotrophic histamine forming bacteria was searched using a modified Niven agar medium which allow detection of suspect colonies that were confirmed by PCR for detecting the presence of the histidine decarboxylase genes in their DNA. The positive colonies were then identified on the basis of their morphology, Gram reaction and biochemical characteristics with API20E. The differential capability of the Niven agar was found to be low and approximately one fifth of the suspect colonies were confirmed by the PCR test, which however included both strong and weak histamine producing strains. The presence of Morganella morganii was associated with concentration of histamine 460 mg∙kg-1 above the allowed limit in a sample of tuna sampled from a fish shop. The same bacterium was found in samples of Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus). High histamine concentration (between 258 and &gt; 300 mg∙kg-1) were observed in salted European pilchard and European anchovy (228 mg∙kg-1) sold loose in supermarkets. Because temperature abuse could occur when Tuna (fresh/defrozen) are hold on chopping board to sell fresh cuts and during shelf life of salted pilchard and pickled anchovies held in opened cans in chilled display cabinets for extended period, which might results in very high histamine concentration, controls on time and temperature at the retail, in addition to those done during the harvest and processing are needed. The studies aiming at quantitatively assess the prevalence and number of histamine producing bacteria in fish products that were not involved in histamine poisoning cases and/or do not show high level of histamine are rather complex , requiring many tests for confirming the histamine forming ability of the suspect isolated strains and further studies are needed to develop techniques for enumerating the histamine producing bacteria.

Histamine in brain development

The function of histamine in the adult central nervous system has been extensively studied, but data on its actions upon the developing nervous system are still scarce. Herein, we review the available information regarding the possible role for histamine in brain development. Some relevant findings are the existence of a transient histaminergic neuronal system during brain development, which includes serotonergic neurons in the midbrain and the rhombencephalon that coexpress histamine; the high levels of histamine found in several areas of the embryo nervous system at the neurogenic stage; the presence of histaminergic fibers and the expression of histamine receptors in various areas of the developing brain; and the neurogenic and proliferative effects on neural stem cells following histamine H(1) - and H(2) -receptor activation, respectively. Altogether, the reviewed information supports a significant role for histamine in brain development and the need for further research in this field.

Effects of Histamine on Survival and Immune Parameters of the Chinese Mitten Crab,Eriocheir sinensis

ABSTRACT In the current study, we examined the effects of histamine on survival and immune parameters of the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis. The crabs infected with the common bacteria pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila were injected with 0 µg histamine/g/crab, 1 µg histamine/g/crab, 50 µg histamine/g/crab, or 100 µg histamine/g/crab, and their survival after 96 h was recorded. The results showed that histamine alone had no influence on crab survival but can decrease survival of the crabs challenged with A. hydrophila after 36 h. In addition, the survival of the crabs injected with the high level (100 µg/g) of histamine was significantly greater than that of the lower level (50 µg/g) after 60–96 h (P < 0.05), but not different from that of the control. Immune parameters of the hemolymph in crabs, such as the total hemocyte count (THC), phenoloxidase (PO), acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), and superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), were measured at 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h after histamine in...

Common Bacterium Induces Histamine Production in Neutrophils

Airway inflammation and constriction associated with the release of histamine is a hallmark of asthma and allergies. Mast cells are considered the main producers of histamine.1 But new research indicates that the common environmental bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa can induce neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, to produce and release very high levels of histamine as well.2 Acute bacterial and viral infections often trigger serious asthma attacks that result in hospitalization, and many of these patients have elevated levels of neutrophils in their airways.3 “We suspected that neutrophils may [produce] mediators that worsen airway constriction,” says George Caughey, chief of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Section at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, who led the study. A few years ago, Caughey’s laboratory studied mice infected with the bacterium Mycoplasma pulmonis and found that their neutrophils released histamine.2 The researchers speculated that the more common and more virulent P. aeruginosa—which, like M. pulmonis, is associated with chronic airway infections—also may trigger histamine production by neutrophils. To explore the connection, the researchers infected mouse neutrophils with two clinical laboratory strains of P. aeruginosa. Strain PA103 quickly killed the neutrophils, and no extra histamine was produced. The other strain, PAO1, provoked neutrophils to increase histamine production by as much as six times. However, mast cells treated with PAO1 produced no extra histamine. When mice were infected with PAO1, they developed bronchitis and pneumonia, and lung histamine levels rose by about three times. The histamine surge was tracked to histidine decarboxylase, a key enzyme for histamine synthesis—neutrophils made more of the enzyme when infected with P. aeruginosa.2 Pseudomonas aeruginosa The underlying causes of asthma and allergies are not well understood, but the findings suggest that P. aeruginosa may trigger inflammation via neutrophils. Patients with chronic airway diseases often experience cycles of bacterial infections followed by inflammation.4 Excess histamine generated by neutrophils with chronic P. aeruginosa infection could contribute to the narrowing of the airways observed in asthma, allergies, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, and other lung diseases, according to Caughey. The production of histamine by neutrophils “is a significant finding because histamine is a major player in the respiratory tract. This opens the door for new ways to look at bacterial-associated allergic inflammation,” says John Wherry, an associate professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Understanding why only certain strains induce neutrophil histamine production “could reveal insights into how pathogens evolve to evade host immunity,” Wherry says. Caughey plans to test whether more strains of P. aeruginosa, other bacteria, and viruses also cause neutrophils to produce histamine. “The most common causes of severe asthma attacks are viruses,” he says. The next step would be to demonstrate that neutrophils make histamine in response to microbial infections in people. If this proves to be the case, Caughey says, “our research could improve the understanding of inflammation in bacterial infections and help us craft therapies for relief of inflammation and its consequences.”

Role of cytokines in lavage or drainage fluid after hemithyroidectomy in wound healing: Involvement of histamine in the acceleration and delay of wound healing

Wound healing is a sophisticated biologic process. In the case of hemithyroidectomy, the operation time is relatively short with small tissue damage and without skin excision, and bacterial contamination before, during, and after the operation is uncommon. Here, we explored which cytokine(s) affected the rates of healing of skin wounds after hemithyroidectomy of 29 patients. We assessed the amounts of cytokines (e.g., interleukin-6, platelet-derived growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and tumor necrosis factor-α) in either the preoperative or postoperative lavage fluids, or in the drainage fluids on postoperative days (PODs) 1-8. All of these cytokines showed a similar pattern; after reaching a peak on POD1, the production fell sharply on POD2-8, revealing that wound healing commenced on POD1. The rates of wound healing were inversely related to the levels of histamine in six patients (i.e., those with the three largest and those with the three smallest total volumes of drainage fluid on POD1): high (or low) levels of histamine in the postoperative lavage fluids with low (or high) levels in the drainage fluids on POD1 caused earlier (or the delay of) wound healing, suggesting involvement of histamine in the acceleration and delay of wound healing.

English

Biogenic amines are formed in some foods, especially fish and fish products as a result of the process of decarboxylation of free amino acids in food. The histamine (scombroid) poisoning arises from ingestion foods containing relatively high levels of histamine and other amines that act as histamine potentiators. Therefore, this study aims to explore the level of contamination by biogenic amines in fish and fish products in shore of Thuel – Saudi Arabia. One hundred and twenty of different fish samples were collected from Thuel shore markets. The biogenic amines histamine, cadaverine, putrescine and tyramine were determined in all samples and also in selected fish samples held iced for 0, 24 and 48 h. The effect of the commercial frying process on biogenic amines level was also tested using two different types of fish. Quantitative thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis was used in biogenic amines determination. There are significant differences between the tested samples and the highest mean (mg/100 g) of putrescine. Cadaverine, histamine and tyramine were in loat fish (6.57), Baiad (3.348), Hareed (4.82) and Baiad (1.38), respectively. Significant increases in the level of biogenic amines were observed in fish held iced at 0, 24, and 48 h. A significant increase of histamine level was noticed in selected fish after commercial frying process. Key words: Biogenic amines, fish, frying, hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP),thin layer chromatography (TLC).

フルオレスカミン誘導体化HPLC法による魚および水産加工品中のヒスタミン分析の性能評価

A method for the quantification of histamine in fish and fish products using tandem solid-phase extraction and fluorescence derivatization with fluorescamine was previously developed. In this study, we improved this analytical method to develop an official test method for quantification of histamine in fish and fish products, and performed a single laboratory study to validate it. Recovery tests of histamine from fillet (Thunnus obesus), and two fish products (fish sauce and salted and dried whole big-eye sardine) that were spiked at the level of 25 and 50 µg/g for T. obesus, and 50 and 100 µg/g for the two fish products, were carried out. The recoveries of histamine from the three samples tested were 88.8-99.6% with good repeatability (1.3-2.1%) and reproducibility (2.1-4.7%). Therefore, this method is acceptable for the quantification of histamine in fish and fish products. Moreover, surveillance of histamine content in food on the market was conducted using this method, and high levels of histamine were detected in some fish products.

Markers/parameters for the evaluation of natural resistance status of small ruminants against gastrointestinal nematodes

The high prevalence of anthelmintic-resistant gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) throughout the world has led to the need for alternative worm control strategies. One of the possible substitutes to reduce the problems of drug resistance and residue is the evaluation/breeding of small ruminants for greater resistance to the GINs (organically produced), which in turn would be a helpful tool to predict the performance of an animal. At present, the existing diversity in the genetic potential to resist/tolerate GINs infection both within and between breeds has been validated. Successful selection of animals to define the genotype and identified resistance is related to the employed markers. A number of phenotypic traits such as faecal egg count (FEC), worm burden, serum antibodies, peripheral eosinophilia, packed cell volume, live weight, serum protein and albumin concentrations have been used for this purpose both in natural and artificial infections. Relatively resistant/tolerant animals have also been found to have mastocytosis, globule leucocytes, high levels of histamine and immunoglobulin (Ig) A and IgE concentrations. Of these traits, the principal and most practical measurement used to assess resistance status in animals undergoing similar parasite challenges is FEC. FEC has a positive/negative correlation with other biochemical, cellular and immunological parameters; however, the reliability of individual trial is often questioned and valuable information regarding the genetic makeup can be obtained from pooled data of a large number of trials and parameters. This paper covers all the aspects reported in the literature on various parameters considered to evaluate the resistance status of a range of small ruminant breeds.

Highly Cytokinergic IgE Antibodies and Autoimmune Mechanisms

Immediate type hypersensitivity reactions can occur after allergen exposure followed by allergen-specific IgE-FceRI interactions on mast cells/basophils in sensitized subjects.1 In comparison, chronic allergic inflammation induced by Th1 responses can occur without exposure to environmental allergens; instead, an IgE-mediated response to autoallergens can activate Th1 cells, causing them to release pro-inflammatory cytokines.2,3 Kitaura et al.4 demonstrated that mast cells with sensitized IgE antibodies on their surface can display a wide spectrum of heterogeneity in their ability to induce cytokine production and secretion. The spectrum of IgE antibodies has two extremes: highly cytokinergic IgE antibodies that induce potent survival promotion, degranulation, cytokine production, and migration, and poorly cytokinergic IgE antibodies that release minimal amounts of cytokines.4 An article published in this issue demonstrated that human IgE antibodies as well as mouse IgE antibodies show heterogeneity.5 This is clinically relevant for two reasons. First, human IgE antibodies showed heterogeneity in cytokine production and second, highly cytokinergic IgE antibodies showed polyreactivity to autoantigens. This concept was tested in serum from atopic dermatitis patients, since some of these patients have high levels of ssDNA- (or dsDNA-) or β-galactosidase-reactive IgE antibodies with high levels of histamine releasing factor-reactive IgE antibodies. Most atopic dermatitis patients had very high total IgE levels in their serum, and polyclonal IgE antibodies detected in serum from these patients enhanced the survival of and cytokine production by mast cells.6 These findings suggest that an autoimmune mechanism is a part of chronic inflammation in a subset of atopic dermatitis patients, although they did not screen serum specific IgE to potential auto-antigens related with skin inflammation. Further studies investigating the mechanisms how polycytokinergic IgE antibodies reacting various kinds of autoantigens can activate other inflammatory cells and mast cells in various phenotypes of atopic dermatitis are essential. Furthermore, the IgE antibodies exhibited polyreactivity to the autoantigens tested in this study.5 Some autoantigens are multivalent, and potentially capable of activating highly cytokinergic IgE antibodies bound to the surface of mast cells and basophils. An autoimmune component might be a part of the pathogenesis of chronic skin allergic inflammation. High serum specific IgE to Staphylococcal superantigens were noted in atopic dermatitis7 and chronic urticaria.8 This hypothesis might be extended to Staphylococcal superantigens, which play a role in the activation of mast cells in patients with atopic dermatitis and chronic urticaria. Several studies have suggested that autoimmune mechanisms play an important part in the development and progression of chronic allergic inflammation in subsets of asthma,9,10 chronic urticaria,11 and atopic dermatitis patients.12 Moreover, the chronic urticaria patients with high specific IgE to thyroid peroxidase showed a favorable response to anti-IgE therapy.13 In addition, various autoantigens were suggested. Several environmental allergens sharing structural similarities with human proteins can be autoantigens.14-16 Some tissue antigens were thought to be derived from thyroid proteins and epithelial cells interacting with environmental factors.9,10,17 This study5 also confirmed the presence of human IgE antibodies reacting to thyroglobulin, which is closely associated with the autoimmunity of chronic urticaria.11 In addition, these IgE antibodies reacted with histamine releasing factor and induced mast cell degranulation. Additional studies are essential to understand the exact mechanisms by which these IgE antibodies activate skin mast cells, as this will be useful for classifying various phenotypes of chronic urticaria and atopic dermatitis, and developing new therapeutic strategies based on the heterogeneity of these phenotypes.

Screening selected strains of probiotic lactic acid bacteria for their ability to produce biogenic amines (histamine and tyramine)

SummaryThe aim of this study was to investigate the production of biogenic amines (BA), histamine and tyramine by some probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Fifteen strains representing six LAB species were screened qualitatively by growing them in a decarboxylase medium. Quantitative analysis was carried out by HPLC analysis with direct derivatization of acid extracts. Lactobacillus casei (TISTR 389) and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (TISTR 895) were found to produce BA. The highest levels of histamine (1820.9 ± 3.5 mg L−1) and tyramine (5486.99 ± 47.6 mg L−1) formation were observed for the TISTR 389 strain, while TISTR 895 produced only histamine (459.1 ± 0.63 mg L−1) in the decarboxylase broth. Biogenic amine potential was not observed for the Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, and Lactobacillus plantarum strains studied. This study confirmed that BA formation is strain dependent and not related to the species. Therefore, careful screening for amino acid decarboxylase activity is recommended before selecting LAB as appropriate starter or probiotic strains in food and dairy industry.

DETERMINATION OF HISTAMINE IN MAHI-MAHI FILLETS (CORYPHAENA HIPPURUS) IMPLICATED IN A FOODBORNE POISONING

ABSTRACT An incident of foodborne poisoning causing illness in 53 victims due to ingestion of fish fillets occurred in January, 2009, in Kaohsiung city, southern Taiwan. The two suspected fish samples contained 11.3 and 37.7 mg/100 g of histamine, which is greater than the 5.0 mg/100 g allowable limit suggested by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Given the allergy-like symptoms of the victims and the high histamine content in the suspected fish samples, this foodborne poisoning was strongly suspected to be caused by histamine intoxication. Five histamine-producing bacterial strains capable of producing 1.23 to 36.48 ppm of histamine in trypticase soy broth (TSB) supplemented with 1.0% L-histidine (TSBH) were identified as Bacillus subtilis (four strains) and Enterobacter aerogenes (one strain) by 16S rDNA sequencing with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. Moreover, the fish species of suspected samples were identified as mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) by using PCR direct sequence analysis. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Based on the finding that high contents of histamine (>30 mg/100 g) were detected in the suspected mahi-mahi samples, we speculate the temperature abuse of the fillets before cooking contributed to the presence of high histamine levels in mahi-mahi fillets and resulted in foodborne poisoning. Although histamine-producing strains, Bacillus subtilis and Enterobacter aerogenes, were isolated from suspected fish samples, they might not be the main contributors to histamine accumulation because of low histamine production. These results re-emphasize proper handling temperature for seafoods and offer an important awareness that Coryphaena hippurus fillets could become a hazardous food item in causing histamine poisoning even though no quality deficiency was observed on the fillets.

A Scombroid Poisoning Causing a Life-Threatening Acute Pulmonary Edema and Coronary Syndrome in a Young Healthy Patient

Scombroid poisoning, also called histamine fish poisoning, is an allergy-like form of food poisoning that represents one of the major problems in seafood safety. It consists in a clinical syndrome associated with consumption of fish and, less frequently, cheese containing high levels of histamine [1, 2]. Usually certain families of dark meat fish are involved, mainly Scombroidae and Scomberesocidae (e.g., tuna, mackerel, skipjack, Bonito, and Cero). Other nonscombroid fish (e.g., mahi—mahi, herring, anchovies, sardines, Australian salmon, swordfish) was also reported to be associated with scombroid fish poisoning [1–5]. High fish histamine concentrations have been found responsible for this kind of poisoning. Histamine and histamine-like substances are generated from histidine by a decarboxylase activity of bacteria such as Proteus, Klebsiella, Aerobacter, Serratia, Enterobacter, and Escherichia coli [6, 7]. The presence of this bacteria and the massive histamine production detected in the fish is usually secondary to contamination of handlers and improper refrigeration [7]. The clinical presentation is generally characterized by flushing, rash, swelling of face or tongue, sweating, headache, dizziness, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, respiratory distress, and hypotension. The onset of symptoms generally occurs few minutes after ingestion of contaminated food. Usually the course is selflimiting and antihistamines can be used to relieve symptoms. We report a rare case of a life-threatening scombroid poisoning with myocardial ischemia and acute pulmonary edema after tuna ingestion.

Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis with a Low-histamine Diet

Atopic dermatitis (AD) has numerous trigger factors. The question of whether foods can aggravate AD remains open to debate. Although a number of published papers have detailed the relationship between food allergies and AD, little research has examined the question of how food intolerance affects AD. For the purposes of this study, a six-year-old Korean boy with AD was admitted to the hospital for evaluation of the possibility of food, particularly pork, as a triggering factor in his skin disease. He had a history of worsening of symptoms when eating pork. Total serum IgE concentration was 157 IU/ml. House dust was class 2.2 (1.5 IU/ml) in MAST. All other MAST items were negative. In an oral food challenge test, he showed a positive result after eating 200 g of pork, but did not show a positive result after eating 60 g of pork. After discharge, we attempted to keep him on a balanced diet that included various types of food and prohibited him from eating food that contains a high level of histamine. After keeping the patient on a balanced and low-histamine dietary regimen, his AD symptoms showed improvement and have not worsened for more than seven months. A low-histamine, balanced diet could be helpful for AD patients having symptoms that resemble histamine intolerance in which their AD symptoms worsened after intake of histamine-rich foods, but in which food allergy tests are negative.