Yen BaiAbout 30 minutes after eating the caterpillar, the 42-year-old man vomited, had stomach pain, numbness in the tip of his tongue and face, and blood in his urine, and his life was in danger.
At Central Military Hospital 108, patients receive intensive medical resuscitation, fluid infusion, detoxification, and close monitoring of organ function. Currently, the patient’s condition has stabilized, muscle weakness in the limbs has improved, and kidney function has returned to normal.
On June 28, Dr. Pham Dang Hai, in charge of the Department of Internal Medicine and Poison Control, said that many people believe that eating ban mou worms helps enhance physiology. This is the reason many men consume this insect, leading to poisoning.
Ban Meo is a type of beetle, black in color, with a small body. The cat’s head is heart-shaped, has a small vertical groove in the middle of the head, with 11 segments and fibrous black whiskers. In Vietnam, ban mou worms often live wild in many areas, including hills and plains, on bean stalks.
The caterpillar contains a toxin called cantharidin. Symptoms of cantharidin poisoning include blister formation on the skin, damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa, multi-organ damage, and even death.
Doctors recommend that people absolutely not eat strange insects, and check carefully when buying fruits and vegetables to avoid mixing moth worms in food.