A Brazilian man who ate one of the world’s most poisonous fish has died after spending five weeks in hospital, fighting for his life, according to reports.
Magno Sergio Gomez, 46, and his friend received a poisonous blowfish known to be 1,200 times more toxic than cyanide as a gift for Christmas, according to Newsflash from the New York Post. He said he ate it.
At Aracruz in Espirito Santa, eastern Brazil, Gomez, a father of three, and his friend gutted the fish, removed the liver, boiled it and ate it with lemon juice.
Magno Sergio Gomez (left), 46, ate a poisonous puffer fish on Christmas after a friend gave him one as a present. (Breaking news | Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/GettyImages, left, Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/GettyImages, right)
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But within an hour, Magno and his friend became seriously ill, Magno’s heartbroken sister Mirian Lopez told Newsflash, adding that her brother had never cut a blowfish before. He added that it had never happened.
“Mr. Magno started feeling numbness in his mouth and then he and his wife drove to the hospital,” Lopez said, according to Newsflash.
“When I arrived at the scene, my mouth became even more numb and I felt sick. Shortly thereafter, I went into cardiac arrest that lasted eight minutes.”
Lopez said Gomez was intubated and placed on life support, but he never recovered. He passed away on January 27th.
Milian Lopez (left) and her brother Magno Sergio Gomez. (Breaking news)
“Doctors told his family that he died from poisoning that quickly spread to his head,” Lopez said.
“Three days after being admitted to the hospital, he had several seizures that severely affected his brain and left him with little chance of recovery.”
Lopez said her brother’s friend survived the ordeal but has problems with his legs. It is unclear whether this friend is the same one who gave Gomez the blowfish.
A mysterious sea creature with sharp teeth and pointy skin that rivals an “alien”
According to the FDA, puffer fish is extremely dangerous to eat because it contains the highly toxic tetrodotoxin (TTX) and saxitoxin, which can cause serious illness and death.
“These are central nervous system toxins and are more lethal than cyanide,” the FDA says on its website.
“Symptoms begin within 20 minutes to two hours after eating the poisonous fish. Early symptoms include tingling in the lips and mouth, followed by dizziness, tingling in the extremities, problems with speaking, balance, and muscle weakness. Deterioration and paralysis follow, followed by vomiting and diarrhea. In severe poisoning, death can occur from respiratory paralysis.”
Pufferfish on a Japanese cutting board. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images)
This toxin is found in the puffer fish’s liver, gonads, skin, and intestines.
The puffer fish is considered the second most poisonous vertebrate in the world after the poison dart frog. According to the FDA, pufferfish is also known as blowfish, bok, blowfish, blowfish, blowfish, balloon fish, or sea squab.
Despite the dangers of eating puffer fish, puffer fish is considered a delicacy in Japan, where it is known as fugu. Japanese expert blowfish chefs learn how to safely cut out parts of the fish that contain TTX.
It is also a popular fish in China and Korea.
Puffer fish in Japan. Despite the dangers of eating puffer fish, puffer fish is considered a delicacy in Japan, where it is known as fugu. (Xavier DESMIER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
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According to the FDA, commercial imports of pufferfish into the United States are severely restricted due to the potential health hazards, and personal imports are prohibited.
One pufferfish contains enough TTX to kill 30 humans.
According to Newsflash, Gomez’s sister said she doesn’t know where the fish her brother ingested came from, whether it was caught or farmed.
It is said that 20 species of pufferfish live in Brazil. It is unclear what type of blowfish Gomez ate.
