By Editor

 

Health officials have issued warnings to the public after two people died from consuming mangrove horseshoe crabs. Five others have been hospitalised after eating the lethally poisonous crustaceans.

 

Horseshoe crabs are a staple food in southern regions, but the mangrove variety, also known as the round-tail horseshoe crab, is highly toxic and has been blamed for the recent fatalities.

 

Misidentification of the poisonous crabs with the non-toxic Indo-Pacific horseshoe crab, which has a tail covered by a sturdy carapace, has been known to occur.

 

To avoid further cases of poisoning, health officials advise residents to take special care to detect and differentiate the tails of the crabs before consuming them.

 

Health officials have urged people to seek medical attention immediately if they experience any symptoms after consuming horseshoe crabs, including vomiting, difficulty walking, or loss of consciousness.

 

This recent incident is not the first of its kind in Thailand. In 2020, a woman in Phuket died after catching and cooking horseshoe crabs at home. The tragedy highlights the importance of proper identification and caution when consuming unfamiliar foods.

 

These incidents highlight the importance of proper food safety and caution when consuming unfamiliar foods. It is essential to properly prepare seafood and to only consume it from reputable sources to avoid the risk of contamination or poisoning. If any symptoms occur after consuming seafood, seek medical attention immediately.

 

Source: https://royalcoastreview.com/2023/03/the-dangers-of-consuming-toxic-horseshoe-crabs/

 

-- © Copyright Royal Coast Review 2023-03-29

 

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2 hours ago, webfact said:

To avoid further cases of poisoning, health officials advise residents to take special care to detect and differentiate the tails of the crabs before consuming them.

A no brainer surely?

2 hours ago, webfact said:

two people died from consuming mangrove horseshoe crabs. 

i don't eat meat, but the one who would convince me to eat this crab that looks like it came straight out of jurassic park hasn't been born yet

Familiar with these critters having lived near the New Jersey shore area but not eating them. I seem to remember coming across reports of their blood (blue) being used in the treatment of leukemia.. 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

To avoid further cases of poisoning, health officials advise residents to take special care to detect and differentiate the tails of the crabs before consuming them.

Call me old-school, but perhaps including photos demonstrating what to look for might have been a useful addition to this article ????

Living in Pattaya, I have long since given up eating anything that comes out of the sea locally!

 

34 minutes ago, SABloke said:

Call me old-school, but perhaps including photos demonstrating what to look for might have been a useful addition to this article ????

Just avoid anything that looks like the picture.... we don't need to get down to details such as variety.

I've never trusted a Crustacean that carries its eyes underneath it shell. Decidedly suspect and sleazy !

3 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

but keep on eating that somtam with fermented crab thats been sitting in the hot sun!  arroy arroy!!!!................./s

Told my wife I would replace her with a tall, slim, younger model as mother for our daughter if she dies from eating Som Tam - house is far fresher now.

Horseshoe crabs are delicious (and expensive) but as @SABlokesays the story is about identification/misidentification so a comparasion would've been nice. Perhaps they were worried about getting the pics mixed up LOL.

Which is which?

On 3/29/2023 at 6:17 AM, wwest5829 said:

Familiar with these critters having lived near the New Jersey shore area but not eating them. I seem to remember coming across reports of their blood (blue) being used in the treatment of leukemia.. 

Born in Bergen County and spent a lot of time at the NJ shore myself. Was always told you didn't eat them, but that the blood was used to detect contamination in any solution coming into contact with blood.

12 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Horseshoe crabs are delicious (and expensive) but as @SABlokesays the story is about identification/misidentification so a comparasion would've been nice. Perhaps they were worried about getting the pics mixed up LOL.

Which is which?

How do you know either is different?

Looks delicious though ????

10 hours ago, QballQ said:

How do you know either is different?

As the article mentions the tail of the manrove horseshoe crab has a carapace around its tail. This is basically a shell. The bottom pic is the mangrove horseshoe crab.

Yay Darwin!