![]() TTXs are chemically distinct from STXs, but both neurotoxins produce similar symptoms in mammals because they act on site 1 of the voltage-dependent sodium channel, blocking the influx of sodium into excitable cells and restricting signal transmission along nerve and muscle membranes ( Ahmed 1991). 1997), but their bioorigin has not been identified. As well as TTXs, STXs have also been found in at least 12 marine and freshwater puffer fish species in Asia ( Ahmed et al. PSP is caused by the consumption of toxic shellfish ( Shumway 1990) and rarely by fish that have have become toxic after feeding on STX-producing microalgae ( Maclean 1979). TTXs can cause fatal human poisoning, which is similar to paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) caused by saxitoxins (STXs). In Japan, 20–100 people die annually from PFP, in spite of stringent controls by authorities ( Ogura 1971). The study was published online June 7 in the journal BMJ Case Reports.Puffer fish poisoning (PFP) is usually caused by ingestion of tetrodotoxins (TTXs) found naturally in certain species of puffer fish ( Halstead 1967 Mosher and Fuhrmann 1984). The case report's authors could not be reached for comment. ![]() But "if you do cocaine all the time or do it once and have a really high blood pressure, it's going to have a pretty serious effect on your kidneys." " not directly toxic to the kidneys, per se," Horowitz said. ![]() Rather, the culprit was probably the cocaine, which can cause blood pressure to spike. Horowitz added that the man's kidney dialysis likely wasn't caused by the TTX or the suspected botulism. The case report mentions that the man ate "canned food," which can contain the toxin, but doesn't specify if the food was canned by a professional (in which case botulism would be unlikely) or an amateur, Horowitz said. While this toxin can also cause paralysis, people with botulism poisoning have symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, trouble breathing and droopy eyelids, Horowitz said. Ī definite diagnosis is important because the man could have had another co-occurring condition that accounted for some of his symptoms, Horowitz said.įinally, it's unclear why the doctors suspected botulism, as the man's symptoms didn't match those of botulism toxin. If the fish was long gone, the doctors could have tested the man for presence of TTX, just to ensure the diagnosis, he added. If the man still had the fish, then the state health department could have tested it for TTX, Horowitz said. For instance, the case report doesn't say how the man acquired the pufferfish, although "there are means of obtaining it, such as underground markets and fishing" in Florida, the doctors wrote. Horowitz said he had a few questions about the patient's situation. "The message is clear: 'Don't eat pufferfish!'" Bill Atchison, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University, who was not involved in the patients' care, told Live Science. "The patient's grandmother endured a much more benign clinical course and did not require ICU management." "Eventually, the patient's respiratory failure resolved, however, renal function did not recover and the patient remains dialysis-dependent today," the doctors wrote in the case report. However, his recovery wasn't straightforward while in the intensive care unit the patient developed pneumonia and his kidney problems flared, requiring him to go on dialysis. The man received medication that has been shown to help other people who had eaten bad fugu. In case he had botulism, they also gave him botulinum antitoxin, the doctors reported. 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. But because her fugu portion had been smaller, she had fewer symptoms: dizziness and leg weakness, the doctors said. The man's grandmother, who had also nibbled on the pufferfish, came with him to the hospital. 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 had high blood pressure (possibly from his cocaine use) and chronic kidney disease, the doctors noted. 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 43-year-old man's case was more complex than a typical fugu-eater's, however.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |