Escolar wax esters
Escolar or oilfish (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum, Ruvettus pretiosus) contain a strong purgative oil, sometimes called gempylotoxin, that may cause diarrhoea when consumed (FDA 2001). Both species are significant bycatches (of the order of 400 tonne/annum) from tuna longlines on the east and west coasts of Australia (Shadbolt et al. 2002).
Pathology of illness: The diarrhoea caused by eating the oil contained in the flesh and bones of these fish develops rapidly and is pronounced (Warrington 2001). Symptoms range from mild and rapid passage of oily yellow or orange droplets, to severe diarrhoea with nausea and vomiting (Shadbolt et al. 2002). In reports of up to 88 cases (41 incidents) in South Australia in the period 1997–99 (Delroy, personal communication), 25 per cent of cases reported stomach/abdominal pain or cramping. There is probably a significant under-reporting of illness associated with consumption of these fish as the symptoms can be mild and short-lived. The onset of symptoms occurs with a median of 2.5 hours and a range of 1 to 90 hours after consumption (Shadbolt et al. 2002).
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