At the end of last month, Ms. Wang, who lives in Tongling, Hangzhou, suddenly began to feel dizzy and nauseous, vomiting and diarrhea in the middle of the night.
She originally thought that she was ordinary gastroenteritis, but when Ms. Wang went to the toilet in the middle of the night, she found that her excrement was a strange green color, which looked abnormal.
What's even more unexpected is that Ms. Wang's illness this time was all because she was poisoned by eating fish greedily!
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Delicious becomes "poison"
Ms. Wang, who was frail, was soon taken to the hospital by her husband, and the attending physician only learned the ins and outs of the matter when he asked for a medical history.
It turned out that the day before the onset of the disease, that is, on June 22, Ms. Wang and her three best friends went to the local mountain to play, due to a heavy rain just a few days ago, there were many fish in the stream, including the brook grouper.
This is a serious wild river fresh that you can't usually buy, especially the brook grouper stew, not to mention how fresh it is.
Several ladies caught a lot of them with great interest, and after returning home, they made a braised brook grouper stewed hot pot, and put home-grown perilla, and even the remaining brook grouper bubbles and fish roe were scrambled with eggs into a plate, which tasted very good.
However, Ms. Wang felt a little sick in her stomach that night, and at first she thought it was just ordinary diarrhea, thinking that it would be fine until dawn.
As a result, the situation got worse and worse, Ms. Wang began to vomit and diarrhea, and felt a spinning of the world, so dizzy that she couldn't get up at all, and couldn't even get out of bed, so she could only hold the basin and vomit constantly.
When the attending doctor heard the key words "brook grouper" and "fish roe", he instantly realized that it was poisoning! Subsequently, the doctor quickly treated Ms. Wang, but fortunately, Ms. Wang's condition gradually improved.
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Several girlfriends who had dined with Ms. Wang also showed similar symptoms one after another and rushed to the hospital for medical treatment.
The doctor also said that there are many cases of grouper roe poisoning at this time of year, but many people are puzzled why the fish roe of grouper is poisonous.
Poisonous fish roe
It turns out that freshwater groupers, although widespread and smaller, contain a gluten-type protein toxin in their ovaries and egg grains. This toxin is characterized by its resistance to high temperatures, and its toxicity remains even when heated at a high temperature of 100 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. In general, symptoms of poisoning may occur when consumed in excess of 5 grams.
The toxicity of fish eggs comes from two main sources. One is that the eggs themselves are toxic, and the other is that toxic substances in the environment accumulate in the internal organs and eggs of fish due to bioaccumulation. Ciguatoxin, for example, is a fat-soluble neurotoxin that is easily enriched in fish eggs with a high fat content.
Symptoms of freshwater grouper roe poisoning usually appear within 2 to 10 hours of consumption and involve multiple systems. In the nervous system, patients may experience dizziness, numbness in the limbs, joint muscle soreness, movement disorders, and even convulsions in severe cases.
Digestive symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. The cardiovascular system can also be affected, manifested by arrhythmias and decreased blood pressure. In extreme cases, patients may experience shock or even death.
Therefore, once you have relevant symptoms, you should never take them lightly and must seek medical attention in time.
In particular, April to July is the season when fish eggs are ripe, and poisoning is also a high incidence period. During this time, it is important to be extra cautious when consuming wild fish.
Also, be sure to remove the internal organs and eggs thoroughly before cooking the fish. Be careful not to break it when cleaning to avoid contamination of the fish. It is important to note that discarded offal should not be disposed of at will, and should never be fed to poultry or pets, otherwise they may also be poisoned or even die.
If you accidentally eat fish roe and have uncomfortable symptoms, you should take vomiting measures immediately. The gag reflex can be triggered by pressing the base of the tongue with your fingers and touching the tonsils. After vomiting, it is important to seek medical attention immediately for further treatment.
Although the eggs of grass carp and silver carp that we often eat are non-toxic and edible, we should still pay attention to the appropriate amount, because the cholesterol and protein content of fish eggs is high, and eating a small amount is good for health, and excessive consumption may be harmful. Especially for patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and the elderly, it is necessary to control the amount of consumption. Also, always make sure that the fish roe are fully cooked when cooking.
Although fish eggs are rich in nutrients, they are difficult to keep fresh due to their high histidine content. Histidine can easily be converted into toxic histamine if not kept fresh properly. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the fish roe is fresh when eating it, and it is best not to eat the fish roe overnight.
In fact, fish poisoning is not alarmist, and similar cases occur every year.
In addition to the eggs, some parts of some fish are inherently toxic. If these poisonous parts are not completely removed at the time of slaughter, or if they are not known which parts are poisonous and are accidentally ingested, poisoning can easily occur.
Other poisonous fish
The flesh of grass carp is non-toxic, but the gall bladder is poisonous. Some people mistakenly believe in home remedies, believing that eating fish gall bladders raw or soaked in wine can dissipate heat, which is a very dangerous behavior. Eating fish gallbladder is likely to cause poisoning, so don't believe these claims that it is good for your health.
Mandarin fish have several sharp spikes on their dorsal fins, which are poisonous. If you are stabbed, you will feel a strong burning sensation. However, mandarin fish are not very toxic, and timely treatment of wounds can usually heal on their own. However, if the wound is more severe, it should still be disinfected or tetanus shots should be given promptly.
The flesh of catfish is non-toxic, but the roe is poisonous. The roe should be completely removed at the time of slaughter and should never be eaten because of greed. If accidentally ingested, it may cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and even difficulty breathing in severe cases. However, the severity of poisoning varies depending on the person's body type and the amount consumed.
Yellow catfish (also known as yellow catfish): This is a small fish with almost no bones on its body, and its meat is rich in nutrients, making it ideal for children and the elderly. However, it has a slight poison on the bone spurs at both ends of its head. Special care needs to be taken when slaughtering, as a puncture can cause severe pain.
Of these fish, puffer fish is the most poisonous and the most dangerous. There have been several cases of poisoning and even death due to the consumption of puffer fish. In addition to fish, puffer fish are highly toxic almost all over their body, including skin, gallbladder, blood, eyeballs, brain spinal cord, liver, ovaries, testicles, and fish roe.
During the spawning season, puffer fish is the most virulent and is also the most common period for poisoning incidents. So, if you don't have a professional to handle it, don't try to eat puffer fish casually.
Ms. Wang's poisoning incident has sounded the alarm bell for us. While enjoying food, we must always remember the importance of food safety.
We need to be extra careful with wild fish, especially some uncommon species. When handling and cooking, always make sure to remove all parts that may be toxic. If you don't know much about a particular fish, it's best to check the relevant information or consult a professional before deciding whether to eat it.
After all, a healthy body is the foundation for enjoying a good life. I hope that everyone can enjoy the food while keeping themselves and their families safe and have a healthy and happy summer.
Resources:
Red Star News:
Hunan Daily: