Ciguatera fish poisoning in Ulithi Atoll, Yap State, Micronesia

Ciguatera toxification of herbivorous marine fish has been known in Fassarai Is. and Falalop Is., Ulithi Atoll in Micronesia since the 1950s. From the coral reef of these islands, the brown alga Turbinaria conoides was collected and an epiphitic dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus toxicus, that is known to synthesize ciguatera toxin, was identified on the surface of algal thalli in Oct. 2001. Some outbreaks of fish poisoning occurred every year in the atoll, however no victims were reported during the last few years. Recent victims took a fresh extract of Messerschmidia argentea called Lipii in Ulithi Atoll. This leaf-extract is believed to have the highest curative qualities in all cases of ciguatera poisoning in the atoll.