A 46-year-old man died this Saturday morning (27) after eating puffer fish in Aracruz, in the north of Espírito Santo. Magno Sérgio Gomes’ family said the cause of death was poisoning. The person in charge was hospitalized for 35 days, but did not survive the complications.
Magno’s sister, Myrian Gomes Lopes told g1 that her brother received a blowfish from a friend on December 22nd.
The next day, at Magno’s house, the two cleaned the fish, removed only the liver, boiled the organ and ate it, with lemon and salt.
“We don’t know where the fish comes from, whether it was caught or caught. They cleaned the pufferfish and ate it. Magno had never cleaned pufferfish before,” said Myrian.
The sister said that Magno and his friend started feeling sick about 45 minutes after eating the fish.
“Magno started to feel numb in his mouth. Then he went with his wife to the hospital, driving his own car. When he got there, his mouth was more numb and he was feeling sick. Shortly thereafter, he went into cardiac arrest for eight minutes,” Myrian said.
Myrian also said that her brother was immediately intubated. Due to the worrying condition, he was intubated and transferred to a hospital in the Capital. After 35 days in hospital, he did not survive and died this Saturday morning (27).
“The doctors told our family that he died from poisoning, which soon went to his head. Three days after being admitted, he had several seizures, which greatly affected his brain, leaving him with as little recovery as possible”, explained Myrian.
According to Myrian, Magno leaves behind a wife and three children. The wake was being held at the Aracruz Mortuary Chapel, in the Jardins neighborhood. The burial is scheduled for 8 am, at the Jardim da Colina Cemetery, also in the municipality.
Friend survived
Myrian also said that, unlike his brother, his friend who also ate the fish was discharged a week after the episode.
“He’s already home. With his legs, he’s not walking very well. He was neurologically impacted but is recovering,” she said.
What the city hall and hospitals said
When asked about the case, Aracruz City Hall said in a statement that the two men were admitted to São Camilo hospital, with one being sent to a private hospital in Greater Vitória.
“From the first admission to the hospital, the municipal health surveillance was informed, notification and all clinical protocols for exogenous poisoning were carried out. One of the men unfortunately was in a very serious clinical condition and died that morning (27/01). The other man is already at home, without any injuries”, informed the note.
g1 contacted the private hospitals where Magno was admitted and also the State Department of Health of Espírito Santo (Sesa) about the matter, but did not receive a response until the publication of this report.
Pufferfish
According to fish biologist João Luiz Gasparini, pufferfish are poisonous fish common on the Brazilian coast.
“In Brazil, there are at least 20 species of puffer fish. In Espírito Santo, there are at least a dozen. They all contain a toxin called tetrodotoxin, which is very potent and can cause slight numbness (when ingested in low quantities) to cardiorespiratory arrest (when ingested in large quantities),” said Gasparini.
Gasparini is part of the Fisheries Monitoring Project team at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Ufes), which has been carrying out a study of Espírito Santo’s fishing production since 2021.
“Possibly he [Magno] may have consumed another smaller species, which is not usually eaten. It is necessary to confirm the species he consumed,” he said.
The biologist also explained that macaw pufferfish are harvest fish, common in winter, and highly sought after in fish markets.
“This is the species that is commercialized and there are no cases of poisoning. But you need to know how to clean. You need to remove the gallbladder without breaking the bag. This is essential and fish cleaners at fish markets and markets do this with great skill and care,” said the biologist.