The attention of vacationers and bathers present on one of the beaches in Chania (Crete) was attracted by the screams of a woman who, while she was in the sea, was bitten by a rabbit fish.
According to a local publication parallaximagAugust 15, a woman was attacked by a rabbit fish (lagokephalos, germanos, λαγοκέφαλος, Withribbed pufferfish).
The victim claims that she swam quite deep when she suddenly felt a bite in the buttock. At that moment, she saw a fish near her. By the appearance of the fish and the characteristic protruding teeth, she realized that it was a rabbit fish.
According to the bather, a large bruise formed at the site of the bite, but there seemed to be no other problems. The woman informed the local authorities to inform vacationers that dangerous fish appeared in the waters near the beach. The municipality, in turn, warns citizens: “You need to be more careful when swimming in order to avoid similar incidents in the future.”
The woman received first aid. When the lady contacted a familiar fisherman and told him about the incident that happened to her, he noted that “she still got off lightly.”
Fish dangerous to people are increasingly appearing in the seas of the country. The Greeks call this fish “germanos”. It is one of 90 species of fish and about 1,000 species of marine life that entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.
The rabbit fish has been a major problem in the scientific community since 2003, when it was first identified in Eastern Mediterranean waters. Amateur fishermen are more at risk, since many of them do not suspect a killer fish in a “cute rabbit”.
Rabbit fish (λαγοκέφαλος) belongs to the lagocephalus sceleratus family contains a deadly poisonous substance in its body tetrodotoxin or fugu poison, which does not lose its properties either during deep freezing or high-temperature processing. There is no antidote for this toxin. The toxin is mainly concentrated in the liver and genital organs of the rabbit, but also in the muscle tissue consumed by humans.
Tetrodotoxin is easily absorbed into the blood and quickly penetrates through various biological barriers of the body, accumulating mainly in the tissues of the kidneys and heart.
Tetrodotoxin is a compound of aminoperhydroquinazoline with a guanidine group. The guanidine group is similar in size and shape to hydrated sodium ions and has a strong affinity for the sodium channels of nerve fibers. Due to the appropriate shape of the molecule, tetrodotoxin clogs sodium channels like a plug, causing nerve fibers to lose their ability to conduct impulses.
Symptoms of acute poisoning: hAfter 10-45 minutes, itching of the lips, tongue and other parts of the body appears, profuse salivation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain are noted. There is muscle twitching, loss of skin sensitivity, swallowing is difficult, develops aphonia. Death occurs from paralysis of the respiratory muscles.
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