There are cases of people living for six hours following a lethal dose, but that's it. If you make it past the hour mark, there might be hope. The poison hits your diaphragm, paralyzing your breathing center. With an inoperable diaphragm, your lungs stop working properly, and you die because your throat swells up on itself, stopping your heart.
The chef who spent at least two years training to prepare it is having a bad day. What happens first? A surprisingly pleasant , tingling sensation in your lips, apparently. What happens next? You see, chefs who prepare and serve fugu sushi must be licensed and specially trained in the ways of the puffer fish's particular preparation techniques. These elite few chefs, undergo a rigid learning program to fully understand how to remove the parts of the puffer fish's body—most importantly the liver and ovaries—that house the tetrodotoxin.
Before serving you the dish, the chef is required to taste the sushi to make certain it is safe for you to consume. So, knowing your chef isn't having a bad day or that he has the right credentials can, in this case, literally be a matter of life and a horrible death by poisoning. Let's just say that the sushi chef who will be filleting and serving your fugu tonight has had a very bad day, or is a newly trained chef, and he neglects to remove every bit of the toxic rich organs. Next, he serves this sushi to you on a beautifully arranged platter.
Then, you gracefully grip the fugu with the tips of your chop sticks, carefully dipping it into the lovely soy sauce and wasabi so not to drop even a flake. Now, you pop the fish into your mouth and swallow it down, happily discovering for yourself that everything wonderful said about puffer fish sushi is true! However, what you will also discover is that the neurotoxin has already begun its deadly process.
The tetrodotoxin poison found in pufferfish is measured at being 1, times more deadly than cyanide. Making an exposure equal to the size of a pinhead enough to kill you. The very moment you consume tainted puffer fish, the tetrodotoxin poison goes to work at flipping "off" the switch that is your life. It immediately attacks the nervous system in your body, which prevents your neurons from communicating with each other and more importantly with your brain.
The most horrifying and deadly component to the neurotoxin is that it impedes the body's muscle function; putting an emphatic halt to your muscles' ability to work. This little fish is considered to be the most toxic of the twenty-five species of fugu. The toxin it harbors tetrodotoxin or tetrodoxin is named for Tetraodontiformes , the order of fish that includes fugu.
People who think the thrill of eating sushi should equal the rush found in engaging in unarmed hand-to-hand combat with a pride of African lions. Oh, and the sushi chefs who are mandated to taste it before serving it. Very high! After the toxin has been consumed, you have less than sixty minutes to get respiratory treatment which is your only hope in surviving the effects of this powerful poison.
More than people die annually from puffer fish poisoning. Almost all resulting from consuming the world's most deadly delicacy. Throughout history, thousands have met their demise from fugu poisoning, primarily in Japan and China where it is more readily found in sushi restaurants.
Robin, I agree! I can't imagine any food that does not have chocolate in the recipe worth dying for! I love sushi, too. But I am certain fugu is one menu item I will continue to avoid! I appreciate that you made it by today, it makes my day! I think I'm out on this one. I love sushi, but I have a feeling the hype is more than the actual taste and the risk!
Therefore there is an increased risk that puffer fish prepared in the United States and elsewhere will be improperly prepared. The State of Florida currently has a ban on both commercial and recreational harvesting of puffer fish from the waters of Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin counties on the east coast of Florida due to persistent toxicity. Puffer fish harvested from these Florida counties have been found to contain significant amounts of toxin in the flesh regardless of the preparation technique.
The Northern Puffer fish from the mid-Atlantic coastal waters of the United States, typically between Virginia and New York, has not been found to contain toxin, but without routine toxin screening there still is a potential risk. For restaurants and fish markets that wish to continue serving or selling puffer fish, in addition to following applicable state and local regulations, FDA recommends that you: Do not serve or sell imported puffer fish unless it has been sourced as described above; Do not serve or sell domestic puffer fish unless it has been harvested in the mid-Atlantic.
Symptoms of TTX poisoning range from tingling sensations, numbness, dizziness and nausea, to muscle weakness, trouble breathing, paralysis and death.
Because there's no antidote to TTX, doctors often place patients on ventilators to help them breathe until the body excretes the poison. The year-old man's case was more complex than a typical fugu-eater's, however. Over the past few days, he had ingested cocaine and eaten canned foods, which made his physicians wonder whether foodborne botulism was at play, too.
The man had high blood pressure possibly from his cocaine use and chronic kidney disease, the doctors noted. When he came to the ER, the man was not in good shape; he was throwing up, had weakness and difficulty speaking, and said that he had stomach pain, tearing chest pain and numb legs.
The man's grandmother, who had also nibbled on the pufferfish, came with him to the hospital. But because her fugu portion had been smaller, she had fewer symptoms: dizziness and leg weakness, the doctors said.
Health care workers immediately gave the man medication to lower his high blood pressure and intubated him so that he would be able to breathe if the TTX paralyzed his breathing muscles.
0コメント