Can fugu poisoning be cured?
There is no known antidote for fugu poison. The standard treatment is to support the respiratory and circulatory systems until the poison is metabolized and excreted by the victim's body.
Symptoms of pufferfish poisoning
Pufferfish poisoning proceeds extremely rapidly, with death occurring around four to six hours after eating pufferfish.
The other concern is the toxicity of the fish. Tetrodotoxin is found in several of the silver-cheeked toadfish organs, including the ovaries and liver. This powerful neurotoxin, when pure, can kill an adult human at a dosage of as little as two milligrams.
But the reality of fugu is encapsulated by that same episode's surprise ending. Homer survives: he hasn't eaten the poisonous part of the fish after all. Very few people, as it turns out, get sick after eating blowfish in Japan, and fewer still die.
How Lethal Is the Poison in Fugu? Very high! More than 60% of all fugu poisonings will end in death. After the toxin has been consumed, you have less than sixty minutes to get respiratory treatment which is your only hope in surviving the effects of this powerful poison.
Twenty-three people have died in Japan after eating fugu since 2000, according to government figures. Most of the victims are anglers who rashly try to prepare their catch at home.
ANTIDOTE: There is no antidote for tetrodotoxin toxicity.
Almost all pufferfish contain tetrodotoxin, a substance that makes them foul tasting and often lethal to fish. To humans, tetrodotoxin is deadly, up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. There is enough toxin in one pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote.
Their studies provided overwhelming evidence that the heart belongs to the very few organs that remain nearly unaffected, even at large sub-lethal or lethal TTX doses. Note that intoxication often required artificial ventilation, but the heart continued beating regularly [37–41,44,46,47].
ANTIDOTE: There is no antidote for tetrodotoxin toxicity.
What happens if you eat fugu poison?
Fugu-poisoned people first begin to feel numbness around their mouths. Paralysis follows, and then a painful death by asphyxiation. There is no known antidote. Because of the delicacy's potential to kill customers, chefs must train for at least three years before they can even take the fugu certification test.
Food poisoning often improves without treatment within 48 hours. To help keep yourself more comfortable and prevent dehydration while you recover, try the following: Let your stomach settle. Stop eating and drinking for a few hours.
The liver from a pufferfish, also known as fugu, is considered a delicacy in Japan. But eating it is risky, as the fish's liver contains a high concentration of a deadly poison known as tetrodotoxin (TTX), which causes paralysis if ingested.