TERM PAPER The Treacherous Effects of Tetrodotoxin Found in Pufferfish By: Angel Isaac Professor Odryzynski General Chemistry 1 6 February 2009 Introduction “Puffer fish can blink and close their eyes, which is very unusual. There are few fish that can accomplish this” (Alward 1). Puffer fish can inflate themselves into a by taking in massive amounts of water and sometimes air (“Puffer fish” 2). The poison found in puffer fish as well as in blowfish, balloon fish, toads, sunfish, porcupine fish, toadfish, globefish, and swellfish is a tetrodotoxin.
It is one of many toxins in nature known to be very poisonous (“Puffer fish Poisoning” 2). Tetrodotoxin is very deadly to humans because it is 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. The puffer fish’s tetrodotoxin can kill 30 humans. Yet, there is no known cure or antidote created to fight off puffer fish poisoning (“Pufferfish” 2). The reason why I chose to do a term paper on the effects of tetrodotoxin in puffer fish is because not many people are aware of the dangers of eating puffer fish. Also, I wanted to know if there is a cure for puffer fish poisoning.
I have heard from the past that puffer fish and blowfish are poisonous because of their skin and body parts and that eating either one is disastrous. My topic has several biological information, cause and effects of puffer fish poisoning, chemical reactions, and chemical formulas. Main Body To begin, there is some biological information that should be known about puffer fish. The puffer fish has several different names, such as: fugu, blowfish, globefish, and balloonfish (Alward 1). There are over 120 species of puffer fish around the world.
Many are seen in tropical and subtropical ocean waters, while others live in brackish and fresh water regions (Puffer fish 2). Puffer fish are meat eaters (Alward 1). The general name for puffer fish in Japan is fugu. The family name of puffer fish is Tetraodontidae. The class name for the puffer fish is Osteichthyes. There are 38 species of puffer fish that thrive in Japanese waters. Japan eats about 20,000 tons of puffer fish each year and 6,800 puffer fish in imports. The puffer fish population is disintegrating because of Japanese consumption (“How Effects Of Tetradotoxin in The Puffer Fish Affect Lives of Animals” 1).
Puffer fish belong to the order Tetraodontiformes. The puffer fish are considered a delicacy in Japan. To serve this delicacy, Japanese chefs have to be licensed to prepare it. But, even with careful preparation, the odds are that people still die from eating the puffer fish (Ahasan, Mamun, Karim, Bakar, Gazi, and Bala 1). Thus, this concludes some incite on the puffer fish. Next, people should be aware of the symptoms that follow when eating puffer fish. The poison tetrodotoxin in puffer fish is in the flesh, viscera, and skin (Ahasan, Mamun, Karim, Bakar, Gazi, and Bala 1).
After one consumes the puffer fish, the symptoms start coming after 10-45 minutes. The first symptoms include slight numbing and or tingling around the mouth. Later symptoms involve salivation, nausea, and vomiting. If this isn’t bad enough, it can lead to paralysis, unconsciousness, heart failure, and finally death (Pufferfish Poisoning 7). In the first 10-45 minutes after consumption paresthesias develops. Paresthesias means tongue tingling in the mouth. Other common symptoms of eating puffer fish include vomiting, lightheadedness, dizziness, feelings of doom, and weakness.
Later on, paralysis and death can occur within 6-24 hours. Other manifestations include salivation, muscle twitching, diaphoresis, pleuritic chest pain, dysphagia, aphonia, and convulsions. Severe poisoning is indicated by hypotension, bradycardia, depressed corneal reflexes, and fixed dilated pupils. Diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms and a history of ingestion. There is no specific antidote made to treat puffer fish poisoning. Despite the high death rate associated with tetrodotoxin poisoning, some people have survived the death toll.
This is because they probably had a small amount of toxin ingested and rapid stomach evacuation by the emergency department (ED) (“Tetrodotoxin Poisoning Associated With Eating Puffer Fish Transported from Japan ‘ California, 1996” 2). Here are some case reports. “Case 1. A 23-year-old man ate a piece of fugu “the size of a quarter” (approximately 1/4 oz). Approximately 10-15 minutes later, he had paresthesias followed by dizziness, fatigue, headache, a constricting feeling in his throat, difficulty speaking, tightness in his upper chest, facial flushing, shaking, nausea, and vomiting. His legs weakened, and he collapsed.
On examination in the ED, his blood pressure was 150/90 mmHg; heart rate, 117 beats per minute; respiratory rate, 22 per minute; temperature, 99. 3 F (37. 4 C); and oxygen saturation, 99% on room air. Case 2. A 32-year-old man ate three bites of fugu (approximately 1 1/2 oz) over 2-3 minutes. While eating his third bite, he noticed tongue tingling followed by a “light feeling,” anxiety, and “thoughts of dying. ” He felt weak and collapsed. At the ED, his blood pressure was 167/125 mmHg; heart rate, 112 beats per minute; respiratory rate, 20 per minute; and oxygen saturation, 96% on room air.
Case 3. A 39-year-old man ate approximately 1/4 oz of fugu after eating a full meal. Approximately 20 minutes after eating the fugu, he had onset of dizziness and mild chest tightness. At the ED, his blood pressure was 129/75 mmHg; heart rate, 84 beats per minute; respiratory rate, 22 per minute; temperature, 97. 2 F (36. 2 C); and oxygen saturation, 97% on room air. Diagnosis and Treatment A presumptive diagnosis of tetrodotoxin poisoning in all three men was based on clinical presentation in the ED.
All were treated with intravenous hydration, gastric lavage, and activated charcoal. Symptoms gradually resolved, and the men were discharged the following day with no residual symptoms” (“Tetrodotoxin Poisoning Associated With Eating Puffer Fish Transported from Japan ‘ California, 1996” 1). Here are some clinical presentations of the number of patients who suffered from puffer fish poisoning: Table I. Clinical presentations in patients with puffer fish poisoning (n=37). Clinical manifestations No. f patients Perioral paraesthesia 24 Weakness of both lower limbs 22 Paraesthesia all over the body 18 Headache 15 Difficulty in respiration 14 Nausea and vomiting 8 Blurring of vision Vertigo 7 Vertigo 6 Dizziness 5 Cramping pain in the lower limbs 4 Table II. Onset of symptoms in patients with puffer fish poisoning (n=37). Time (in minutes) Number of patients 121 6 Table III. Relation of clinical outcome with amount of fish ingested (n=37). Amount of fish Total No. of patients No. f patients ingested (in g) patients who improved who died Less than 50 21 20 1 51 – 100 10 6 4 101 – 151 2 1 1 151 – 200 2 1 1 201 ‘ 500 2 1 1 (Ahasan, Mamun, Karim, Bakar, Gazi, and Bala 2). Thus, this concludes a look at how there is no cure for puffer fish poisoning. Finally, one should be aware of the chemical reactions and chemical formula f tetrodotoxin. Within tetrodotoxin, there are multiple hydroxyl groups and is heterocyclic. Heterocyclic means that it has many cyclic hydrocarbons. The tetrodotoxin molecule is water soluble and heat stable (“Amanda ‘ Tetrodotoxin” 1). Vomiting out the poison is considered an alternative if the person has eaten the puffer fish within 3 hours. If vomiting occurs, be sure to turn the person onto his or her side. Medical attention is needed if the person goes through artificial respirations (Puffer fish Poisoning 12). The chemical formula of tetrodotoxin is C11H17N3O8. The molecular weight of tetrodotoxin is 319. 28 g/mol (“Tetrodotoxin” 1).
Thus, this concludes the section on what are tetrodotoxins made of and other information about it. Conclusion To conclude, tetrodotoxin in puffer fish is much worse than cyanide. Puffer fish are eaten as a delicacy in Japan and other parts of Asia. The puffer fish gets its name from how it looks when it is threatened, as it looks like a ball with spikes. Even though licensed Japanese cooks carefully cut off the skin, flesh, liver, gonads, and intestines of the puffer fish, customers still die as a result when they eat the puffer fish. Numbing, paralysis are the early symptoms of puffer fish poisoning. Death is the outcome of puffer fish poisoning.
Though people still eat puffer fish today, it is grotesque that they aren’t aware that they die from it. Works Cited Ahasan H A M N, Mamun A A, Kari S R, Bakar M A, Gazi E A, and Bala C S. “Paralytic Complications of Puffer Fish (Tetrodotoxin) Poisoning. ” Sma. 2004. 6 February 2009. http://www. sma. org. sg/smj/4502/4502a2. pdf. Alward, Mary M. “Puffer Fish. ” Hotfact. 1 November 2005. 6 February 2009. http://www. hotfact. com/puffer-fish. html. “Amanda ‘ Tetrodotoxin. ” Sentinelchem. wikispaces. 2009. 6 February 2009. https://sentinelchem. wikispaces. com/Amanda+-+Tetrodotoxin. “How Effects Of Tetradotoxin in The Puffer Fish Affect Lives of Animals. ” Geocities. National University of Singapore. 6 February 2009. http://www. eocities. com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/3388/. “Pufferfish. ” Animals. nationalgeographic. 1996-2009. 6 February 2009. http://animals. nationalgeographic. com/animals/fish/pufferfish. html. “Pufferfish Poisoning. ” Emedicinehealth. 2009. 6 February 2009. http://www. emedicinehealth. com/wilderness_pufferfish_poisoning/article_em. htm. “Tetrodotoxin. ” Chemistry Daily. 4 January 2007. 6 February 2009. http://www. chemistrydaily. com/chemistry/Tetrodotoxin. “Tetrodotoxin Poisoning Associated With Eating Puffer Fish Transported from Japan ‘ California, 1996. ” Cfsan. fda. 3 November 1997. 6 February 2009. http://vm. cfsan. fda. gov/~mow/fugu. html.
