Medics have sounded the alarm over the dangers of consuming fresh coconut water after a man died hours after unknowingly drinking from a rotten coconut.
The 69-year-old had bought the pre-prepared fruit – a popular choice at holiday resorts – a month earlier and left it on his kitchen table instead of refrigerating it.
But the unidentified pensioner only swallowed a ‘small amount’ using a straw because the ‘water had a foul taste’, according to Danish medics who shared his story in a journal.
Opening up the coconut, the man from Aarhus in Denmark discovered the interior was ‘slimy’ and told his wife it ‘looked rotten’ and threw it in the bin.
Just three hours later he began suffering bouts of sweating, nausea and vomiting and an ambulance crew were called to his home.
They discovered he was confused, unable to balance and had pale, clammy skin.
MRI scans taken in hospital showed he had severe brain swelling, but medics remained baffled by what had caused the reaction.
Despite being treated in intensive care for metabolic encephalopathy – when problems with metabolism cause brain dysfunction – he was declared brain dead 26 hours after arriving at hospital and his life support was switched off.
The 69-year-old had bought the pre-shaved coconut a month earlier and left it on his kitchen table instead of refrigerating it. Pictured, a coconut shared by Dr Samuel Choudhury
Responding to case report on Instagram, Dr Samuel Choudhury also told his 326,000 followers: ‘Always store these coconuts in the fridge because they are already partially peeled’
An autopsy revealed he had fungus growing in his windpipe that medics initially mistook for a toxin called bongkrekic acid.
However, further analysis of the coconut showed the fungi arthrinium saccharicola had festered inside of it, according to the case report in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Research has long shown this species of fungus produces the toxic compound 3-nitropropionic acid, which causes severe brain damage.
Case reports have also shown the toxin has poisoned adults in China and parts of Africa as early as 1991, but mouldy sugarcane was to blame.
Victims suffered similar symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhea, before being struck down by encephalopathy, which in some cases proved fatal.
No known antidote to thwart the effects of the poison currently exists.
Treatment instead focuses on supportive care, such as managing symptoms and potential complications like meningitis or encephalitis – serious brain swelling.
This fresh ‘challenging case’, showed just how ‘rapidly the disease progressed’, the doctors added.
Further analysis of the coconut showed the fungi arthrinium saccharicola had festered inside of it. Pictured, arthrinium saccharicola cells
The unidentified pensioner only swallowed a ‘small amount’ using a straw because the ‘water had a foul taste’, according to Danish medics who shared his story in a journal
Food safety chiefs have long advised that pre-shaved coconuts should be stored in the fridge to keep them fresh.
Coconut water is perishable and should be consumed within a few days.
Responding to the case report on Instagram, Dr Samuel Choudhury, based in Singapore, told his 326,000 followers: ‘Always store these coconuts in the fridge because they are already partially peeled.
‘Only whole coconuts can be stored at room temperature.
Sharing an image of a fungus-ridden coconut with his fans, he added: ‘During the autopsy the doctors found fungus in the windpipe.
‘This is why you need to store your coconuts properly and why food poisoning can be deadly – even just a sip.
‘With partially peeled coconuts, the white flesh is exposed. Shelf life is much shorter.’
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