A man in Brazil died after eating a poisonous puffer fish given to him by a friend. Pufferfish are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world and are notorious for having a toxin more powerful than most poisons. Proper washing and cooking methods for this fish are very important. According to reports, the deceased had no experience in handling blowfish, which led to the tragic incident.
The incident occurred over the weekend at Ala Cruz in Espirito Santa. A man named Magno Sergio Gomez and his friend cleaned the fish, boiled it, and ate it with lemon juice. Within an hour of ingestion, both patients became seriously ill and experienced numbness in their mouths. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Sergio drove himself to the hospital, where he went into cardiac arrest for eight minutes, the New York Post reported.
The cause of Sergio's death was determined to be tetrodotoxin, a powerful poison found in the livers and gonads of puffer fish and other marine animals. It is used by pufferfish against predators and is more than 1,000 times more lethal than cyanide, with no known antidote.
Despite medical interventions, including endotracheal intubation and life support, Sergio showed no signs of recovery and died of poisoning 35 days later. “Doctors told our family that he died from poisoning that rapidly spread to his head. Three days after being admitted to the hospital, he suffered several seizures that severely affected his brain and left him with little chance of recovery. The New York Post quoted Sergio's sister as saying.
However, Sergio's friend survived this tragic incident but is struggling with his mobility.
According to a Science Times report, there are more than 120 species of pufferfish around the world, mainly living in subtropical and tropical seawater. Brazil is home to 20 species of pufferfish, nearly all of which carry powerful toxins. Interestingly, there is a delicacy in Japan called blowfish, which is a raw blowfish dish, but only qualified cooks can prepare it.
