A 46-year-old Brazilian man died after preparing and eating a toxic pufferfish gifted to him by his friend. According to the New York Post, pufferfish, often known as blowfish, have venom that can kill up to 30 people.
In an interview with Newsflash, Myrian Gomes Lopes revealed that her brother, Magno Sergio Gomes, needed to be intubated and placed on life support due to an aggravated condition after consuming pufferfish. Magno was hospitalized for 35 days before dying on January 27.
“Magno had never cleaned pufferfish before,” Myrian explained. Magno claims to have received the dangerous pufferfish as a gift from a friend. Magno and his friend had never cooked hazardous seafood before, but they continued to remove its internal organs before frying and eating it with lemon juice.
Magno and his friend fell gravely ill less than an hour after eating the fish. “Magno started to feel numb in his mouth,” Myrian explained.
Magno managed to get to the hospital by himself, but the numbness worsened, resulting in an 8-minute heart arrest. Magno’s ailment was allegedly caused by tetrodotoxin poisoning.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, tetrodotoxin is a very toxic substance present in the liver and gonads of certain fish, including puffer fish, globefish, and toadfish (order Tetraodontiformes), as well as several amphibian, octopus, and clam species.
According to the CDC, human poisonings occur when fish meat and/or organs are incorrectly prepared and consumed. Tetrodotoxin inhibits signal transmission from neurons to muscles, resulting in progressive muscular paralysis.”
According to the National Library of Medicine, tetrodotoxin is also created by creatures to protect themselves against predators. “TTX, one of the most powerful neurotoxins known, it is about 1200 times more toxic to humans than cyanide and it has no known antidote,” according to the report.
Tetrodotoxin poisoning can be lethal. “The doctors told our family that he died from poisoning, which had quickly traveled to his head,” Myrian was quoted as saying. “Three days after being admitted, he had several seizures, which greatly affected his brain, leaving little chance of recovery.”
Magno’s companion did not die, although he is having mobility challenges. According to the New York Post, Myrian stated, “He’s not walking well.” “He was neurologically impacted, but he is recovering.”
Brazil has 20 pufferfish species, with 12 located in the state of Espirito Santa. The venomous fish is also considered a delicacy in Japan. In Asia, the fish is known as fugu and is only prepared and sold by chefs who have earned a license. This is due to the presence of a lethal toxin in seafood.