Poisoning, muscle paralysis after eating fried stink bugs

Talking to the doctor, a patient said that at noon on June 29, all 5 people (all men - PV) caught 0.7 kg of stink bugs in the field, then roasted them and ate them for lunch (around 12 o'clock).

At around 3:00 p.m. the same day, all of them had symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and body aches, and were taken to Ninh Binh Provincial General Hospital by their families.

The bed bug sample was sent by the patient to the Poison Control Center of Bach Mai Hospital. Bed bugs pose a risk of parasitic and fungal infections that can be transmitted to humans.

Of the 5 patients, 2, aged 38 and 39, were severely poisoned, suffering from intercostal and respiratory muscle paralysis and difficulty breathing. They were transferred by doctors from Ninh Binh General Hospital to the Poison Control Center of Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi) for treatment. Of these, the 38-year-old patient had to be put on a ventilator.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center, these two patients were treated at the Poison Control Center in a conscious state but both had intercostal muscle paralysis, very severe muscle damage, rhabdomyolysis (muscle destruction caused by toxins causing muscle damage), and respiratory muscle paralysis.

The two patients were treated intensively, with detoxification drugs to prevent kidney failure. After treatment, the two patients recovered. The most seriously ill patient was discharged on July 7. The patient who was treated at the same time was discharged earlier, on July 5.

"We must have eaten so many that we couldn't count them, because these stink bugs were small and roasted, weighing 700 grams, and only 5 people could eat them," a patient recounted after recovering.

Doctor Nguyen said that the initial determination was that the stink bug that the patients ate and were poisoned was the fabric stink bug, scientifically known as Agonoscelis nubilis. Currently, the full range of toxic substances in this stink bug has not been determined.

5 people were poisoned and paralyzed after eating fried stink bugs.

High risk of disease-carrying insects

However, the above poisoning cases are not the first time. In 2021, the Poison Control Center also received 6 family members in Yen Thuy District (Hoa Binh) who were poisoned after eating about 0.5 kg of fried stink bugs. After eating, the whole family was hospitalized due to abdominal pain, nausea, and body aches.

According to Dr. Nguyen, there are many species of stink bugs, many of which may have toxins that have not yet been fully evaluated. In addition, even if the animal is not poisonous, it still has a very high risk of carrying pathogens and transmitting diseases to humans (such as parasites, bacteria, viruses).

Medical information on the toxicity of insects and stink bugs is currently limited. Therefore, there are very few species of insects and stink bugs that have been scientifically proven to be safe to eat. In the community as well as doctors, it is difficult to identify specific stink bugs and it is very easy to confuse them.

"In cases of poisoning from eating worms or bugs, doctors will have a lot of difficulty diagnosing and treating you, which means your fate is at risk," Dr. Nguyen noted.

Poison control experts advise that, to prevent poisoning and disease, in addition to a few types of insects that are clearly known to be edible (e.g. silkworm pupae), people should not use strange or uncertain creatures as food, regardless of how they are prepared.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/ngo-doc-liet-co-sau-khi-an-bo-xit-rang-185230707213158296.htm