A man in China became seriously ill after eating a live crab that pinched his daughter, according to a report in South China Morning Post (SCMP). It was an apparent act of revenge, the outlet further said. The outlet identified the man as 39-year-old Lu from Zhejiang in eastern China. He picked up the crab and swallowed it whole while it was still alive. Mr Lu went to the hospital with severe back pain two months after the incident after which the doctors examined him and began treatment.
An initial check-up indicated pathology changes in his chest, abdomen, liver and digestive system, said the SCMP report. The doctors were, however, unable to identify the exact cause and asked him if something unusual happened with him.
"We repeatedly asked him if he had ever eaten game, or anything unusual, anything that could cause allergies. He said no to all," Doctor Cao Qian, the director of the digestive system department at the hospital where Mr Lu was treated, was quoted as saying by SCMP.
It was Mr Lu's wife who first mentioned the crab-eating incident to the doctors, after which the man also confessed.
"I asked him, 'Why did you eat a live crab?' He said, 'I wanted to take revenge for my daughter'," the hospital director further told the outlet.
The doctors sent his blood samples for test, and it revealed that Mr Lu had been infected by at least three parasites from eating the crab.
He later recovered and was discharged from the hospital on Monday but has been asked to visit for regular check-ups.
According to The Telegraph, crab-eating is common across China. Though the crustacean is mostly eaten cooked, it is also served raw in some regions, especially east China.
A similar incident was reported from Hangzhou in 2020 when a woman suffered with fluids in lungs and issues with the respiratory system for six months after eating 30 raw crabs, The Telegraph report said.
