In scrombroid toxicity, which amino acid is decarboxylated by bacteria to form histamine?

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Multiple Choice

In scrombroid toxicity, which amino acid is decarboxylated by bacteria to form histamine?

Explanation:
In scrombroid toxicity, histamine is produced when bacteria remove the carboxyl group from histidine, using the enzyme histidine decarboxylase. That decarboxylation converts histidine into histamine, which can accumulate in fish that are not kept cold enough. Histamine is heat-stable, so cooking doesn’t destroy it, making proper chilling essential to prevent this toxin buildup. The other amino acids would be converted to different biogenic amines if acted on by their respective decarboxylases (for example, glutamate to GABA, lysine to cadaverine, or phenylalanine to tyramine), but histidine is the substrate that directly yields histamine.

In scrombroid toxicity, histamine is produced when bacteria remove the carboxyl group from histidine, using the enzyme histidine decarboxylase. That decarboxylation converts histidine into histamine, which can accumulate in fish that are not kept cold enough. Histamine is heat-stable, so cooking doesn’t destroy it, making proper chilling essential to prevent this toxin buildup. The other amino acids would be converted to different biogenic amines if acted on by their respective decarboxylases (for example, glutamate to GABA, lysine to cadaverine, or phenylalanine to tyramine), but histidine is the substrate that directly yields histamine.

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