"I suspect tetrodotoxin is defensive" for the puffer larvae, Williams says, but "additional research needs to be done to verify that." In her own studies, predators spit out the larvae of the deadly blue-ringed octopus, which also contain low levels of TTX, but those same predators will happily eat baits spiked with higher amounts of the poison. The predators might reject the larvae because of a chemical other than TTX, says chemical ecologist Becky Williams of Utah State University. The larvae are armed with the chemical deterrent in their mothers' ovaries, the researchers argue.īut other scientists say the new study doesn't close the case. Itoi and his team think the bigger fish can taste the baby puffers' dose of TTX. But when the scientists placed puffer larvae in front of young flounder, sea bass and other fish, the bigger fish gulped the tiny larvae – and quickly spit them out, the researchers report in an upcoming issue of the journal Toxicon. They found that the larvae of tiger and grass puffers contain very small amounts of TTX, far less than would be lethal to a bigger fish looking for a meal. Japanese researcher Shiro Itoi of Nihon University and his colleagues set out to unravel the puffer's secrets.
Fugu poison free#
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here. If the victim survives the first 24 hours, they are expected to fully recover as toxin can be expelled from the body through urination. These may include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, abdominal discomfort, numbness in the face, muscle weakness and slurred speech and cardiovascular effects including hypotension, bradycardia and arrhythmia. Patients with tetrodotoxin poisoning usually develop symptoms within 30 minutes to six hours of ingestion. It has also been isolated from other species including goby, shellfish, California newt, parrotfish, blue-ringed octopus, starfish, angelfish, and xanthid crabs. Puffer and porcupine fish are common examples of fish containing tetrodotoxin. In China, puffer fish poisoning affected 131 people from 2004 to 2007 and 35 deaths were reported. In Taiwan, from 1992 to 2012, 128 people were affected and 11 died. In 2009, there were 50 cases but no deaths. Puffer fish, also called fugu, is a popular traditional dish. In Japan, puffer fish poisoning is the most common natural marine toxin causing food poisoning. The fish, bought in Chicago, was labeled as monkfish. Two people were affected in Chicago in 2007. For the brother and sister in Minneapolis the fish was bought in New York. The person in Virginia ate puffer fish imported from South Korea and received by the patient’s relatives. In the U.S., a case of tetrodotoxin poisoning related to puffer fish was reported in Virginia in 2014 and two occurred in Minneapolis in the same year. Twenty-six required hospitalization while six of them needed intensive care but none died. From 2004 to June 2014, the Centre for Health Protection recorded 21 cases of tetrodotoxin poisoning affecting 38 people. In Hong Kong, tetrodotoxin intoxication as food poisoning has been a statutory notifiable disease since 1974. Members of the public are advised to avoid purchasing and preparing puffer fish or unknown fish for consumption to prevent tetrodotoxin-related food poisoning,” he said. Tetrodotoxin intoxication can cause problems in respiration or circulation and is potentially fatal. “Being heat-stable, the toxin does not decompose upon cooking, boiling, drying or freezing. This fish must be cleaned and prepared properly so that organs containing toxins are removed and do not cross-contaminate the edible flesh of the fish.Ī CHP spokesman said consumption of puffer fish is the main cause of food poisoning from tetrodotoxin, a potent water-soluble neurotoxin that can affect the central nervous system.
It is mainly found in the eggs, liver and skin. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is investigating the suspected poisoning case and reminds the public not to consume puffer fish, also known as globefish, fugu, or blowfish.
He went to the accident and emergency department of Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) on the same day as he ate the fish and was then admitted to the intensive care unit of PWH for further management. The 65-year-old man developed facial numbness, general weakness and respiratory failure about two hours after eating cooked puffer fish he caught in local waters for lunch at home earlier this week. A man is in a critical condition in a hospital in Hong Kong after consuming puffer fish and suffering suspected tetrodotoxin poisoning.
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