Pufferfish that killed 1, sickened 8 identified as inedible: FDA

Taipei, Dec. 6 (CNA) A poisonous pufferfish that was consumed at a get-together last month in Nantou County, killing one man and sickening eight others, has been identified as an inedible lunartail puffer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Wednesday.

The species has high levels of the poison tetrodotoxin (TTX) in its skin, flesh and organs, such that eating two pieces of it prepared as sashimi can be fatal, the FDA said.

In the case in question, a restaurant owner in the Nantou mountain town of Cingjing, surnamed Hung (洪), invited eight neighbors over on Nov. 25 for a meal at his home that included pufferfish.

The following morning, Hung, who had eaten the fish prepared as sashimi, was found dead, while the eight guests -- who had eaten it in soup -- were taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening symptoms.

On Wednesday, FDA Deputy Chief Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said DNA testing on samples of the fish had identified it as a lunartail puffer -- an inedible variety that can be easily confused with species in the same genus that are edible when properly prepared.

Wang Te-yuan (王德原), head of the agency's Research and Analysis Division, told reporters that testing had found TTX at a concentration of 134.30 milligrams per kilogram in the sashimi and 33.48 mg/kg and 31.86 mg/kg, respectively, in the soup's fish and broth.

Wang noted that in Japan, the maximum regulatory limit for TTX in pufferfish is 2 mg/kg.

Assuming that one piece of the sashimi weighed around 10 grams, it would contain TTX at a concentration of 1.34 mg/kg, meaning that eating just two pieces could constitute a fatal dose, Wang said.

Fish caught in Keelung, given as gift

In the days after the poisoning, the Keelung City Health Bureau said it had identified the person who caught the pufferfish and gave it to Hung.

The man, who has not been named, told health officials he caught the fish near Keelung's Bisha Fishing Harbor and sent it in a frozen parcel to Hung, whom he said often spoke of being able to safely prepare pufferfish, the bureau said.

On Wednesday, Lin said that under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, selling, storing, packing or even gifting toxic food products is punishable by a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$200 million (US$1,905 to US$6.35 million).

In cases where the toxic food causes serious injury or death, the offender can face up to 7 years in prison and a fine of up to NT$80 million, he added.

According to FDA data, there have been four recorded cases of pufferfish poisoning in the past 10 years in Taiwan, resulting in one death and 17 hospitalizations.

In Japan -- where pufferfish is more commonly eaten and where chefs preparing it must be licensed -- there have been 180 poisoning cases in that time, resulting in five deaths and 246 hospitalizations, according to the Tokyo Bureau of Health.