Toad meat is not poisonous but why can it cause death?

Many deaths due to eating toad meat

On October 2, a 24-year-old man from Quang Binh was taken to the Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Hospital in Dong Hoi with symptoms of difficulty breathing, slow pulse, and abdominal pain. Doctors and nurses actively treated him, administered IV fluids, washed his stomach, and inserted a pacemaker, but the poisoning was too severe and the patient died that night. Doctors determined the cause of death was toad meat poisoning.

Previously, in April 2023, Chu Se District Medical Center (Gia Lai) said it had received 3 victims of poisoning after eating toad meat. Among them was a 2-year-old child who was hospitalized with unmeasurable blood pressure, no pulse, maximum dilation of pupils, and cyanosis of the whole body. The center performed 30 minutes of intensive resuscitation, but the child did not survive. Chu Se District Medical Center determined that the child died from toad meat poisoning.

The toxins are concentrated mainly in the skin, eggs and gills of toads.

Or in January 2021, Ms. TP (in Hon Gam village, Ba Cum Nam commune, Khanh Son district, Khanh Hoa ), also died after eating toad meat (mixed with toad eggs). About 20 minutes after eating, Ms. P. experienced symptoms of dizziness, nausea, vomiting food, and loose stools.

The patient went to the Ba Cum Nam Commune Health Station for examination and was then transferred to Khanh Son District Health Center. She died halfway there. The test results of 2 toad meat samples (1 sample containing toad eggs and 1 sample of vomit) were positive for toad toxins: Bufalin, Cinobufalin, Resibufogenin.

Eating toad meat causes poisoning?

On October 10, pharmacist Dr. Nguyen Thanh Triet, Deputy Head of the Department of Traditional Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, said that the common toad in Vietnam has the scientific name Bufo melanostictus. Many parts of the toad can be used, depending on the purpose of use, such as toad meat (remove the head, two latex glands, four feet, skin and all eggs, intestines, liver), toad bile, dried toad latex (called the medicinal herb Thiem to). Toad parts that can be poisonous include the skin, toad eggs, toad latex from the glands behind the ears and glands on the toad skin.

In terms of chemical composition, toad meat contains protein, lipid, manganese to help children grow quickly, zinc has anti-inflammatory effects. Toad meat helps children eat well, grow quickly, sleep well, gain weight and be healthy (2-3 g of toad meat/day).

Toad venom (toad sap) contains cardiac glycosides of the bufadienolid group and alkaloids such as bufalin, bufotoxin, sterol compounds cholesterol, campesterol, etc. The toxins are mainly concentrated in the skin, eggs and both sides of the ear, can cause vomiting, diarrhea..., more seriously can cause cardiac arrest and death.

"The most important thing is to ensure that the toad's toxins do not get into the toad's meat. Therefore, during processing, it is necessary to make sure that the organs containing the toad's toxins are completely removed without spreading to the toad's meat. Absolutely do not let the toad's skin, internal organs, eggs and toad's resin mix into the meat," Dr. Triet noted.

Absolutely do not collect toad eggs from ponds and lakes to eat.

Symptoms of poisoning usually appear 30 minutes - 2 hours after eating the fruit. Patients often experience digestive disorders such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting. Cardiovascular disorders such as initially high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, possibly due to bufotonin. Then, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, circulatory collapse. Neurological and psychiatric signs of bufotenin can cause hallucinations, delusions, personality disorders. With higher doses, it can inhibit the respiratory center causing apnea. Causes kidney damage, anuria, acute tubular nephritis.

In addition, absolutely do not collect toad eggs from ponds, lakes, rivers to eat. If signs of poisoning are detected, actively induce vomiting and take to the nearest medical facility.

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