Public warning out after man dies, 7 others poisoned by crabs,

DIPOLOG CITY - Philippine authorities warned the public over the weekend against consuming certain species of crabs, especially the Devil Reefs Crab and the Floral Egg Crab, after a man died and seven of his family members hospitalized from eating the highly poisonous decapod crustaceans in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte.

This is the first reported case of crab poisoning in the region where various species of crustaceans are commonly sold in every coastal village,according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

“No amount of cooking or heating can destroy or remove these toxins from these aquatic species. Hence, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) would like to continually warn the general public not to gather and consume these types of crabs from the wild to avoid any repeated unfortunate circumstance and further advises to only buy and consume fish and other fishery produce from legitimate sources in public markets and establishments,” BFAR regional director Al-Zath Kunting said. 

He said Arnel Tabanao died from eating the crabs which he bought in a village in Liloy town. Tabanao’s family members who feasted on the Devil Reef Crab remained at the Zamboanga City Medical Center.   

“We were saddened by this news and we immediately reached out to our counterparts in the local government of Liloy in Zamboanga Del Norte through our Provincial Fishery Office in Dipolog City to gather crucial information to give light to this unfortunate incident and conduct measures to address the situation accordingly. This is believed to be the very first of its kind to be reported in Zamboanga Peninsula, nevertheless, the Bureau would like to reassure that public food safety remains to be one of its top priorities,” Kunting said. 

He also confirmed that the victims consumed the Devil Reefs Crab (Zosimus aeneus) belonging to the family Xanthidae, adding another poisonous species, the Floral Egg Crab (Atergatis floridus), also belonging to the same family. 

Kunting said these species of crabs were known to be containing significant concentrations of neurotoxins including Tetrodotoxin, the chemical compound responsible for the toxicity of Puffer Fish and Saxitoxin, known to be paralytic shellfish toxin. These crab species live on coral reefs and both are known to be potentially lethal due to the presence of the neurotoxins in its flesh and shell. 

He said the common symptoms of crab poisoning are tingling sensation in the lips and mouth, numbness of extremities, inability to walk, breathe, and talk; nausea, vomiting, paralysis and if left unattended may lead to death. “All of these symptoms often manifest within 30 minutes from ingestion of toxin from the Devil Reefs Crab and Floral Egg Crab. 

The BFAR also released a poster containing photos of poisonous crabs and a warning to the public not to consume them. (Mindanao Examiner)