Family with paralysis after Kugelfisch enjoyment

11-member family with paralysis after Kugelfisch enjoyment

28/10/2014

An eleven-member family from Rio de Janeiro had great luck, according to Merkur, citing the Independent. She had consumed, probably out of ignorance of its toxic ballast, a puffer fish, which had been given to them by a friend. "The fish looked so delicious that we invited the whole family," says Cristiane Souza on Brazilian television "RJ TV".

The family dinner almost ended in disaster. Just a few seconds after the beginning of the consumption, the first family members had to vomit, shortly after the first signs of paralysis appeared. "My husband was the first one who could not feel his tongue, then his face, his arms and legs," said the husband's wife. „It was the same with my brother-in-law, he could not even get out of the door. We had to take her to the clinic in the car.“

Extremely strong nerve poison
The fact that things did not get any worse may have been due to the fact that Cristiane Souza had not yet eaten the fish and was only able to help. Whether the affected family members, including children, fully recover, is still uncertain. According to grandmother Mara do Carmo, many of the family members are still very bad, according to the old lady to the Independent: „We pray for a miracle.“

Tetrodotoxin, the poison of the pufferfish unfolds after consumption a fatal effect on the nerve and muscle function. Already in the first hour after consumption, those affected show significant deficits, such as paralysis of the muscles, coordination and consciousness disorders. Under certain circumstances, the paralysis also affects the respiratory muscles, which leads to the death of the patient if medical care is not provided. From a dose of 0.5 milligrams to one milligram, tetrodotoxin is fatal.

Japanese delicacy
In Japan, the highly poisonous puffer fish are considered a delicacy. Since the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin is found in the organs, but not in the flesh of the fish, you can enjoy it, expertly dissected. In Japan, however, only specially trained and licensed cooks are allowed to dismantle him, who are allowed to prepare him according to a strictly defined procedure. According to the Independent, 20 to 40 incidents of tetrodotoxin poisoning occur annually in Japan. (Jp)