Man falls seriously ill after eating live crab to 'avenge his daughter'

A man in China fell seriously sick months after he ate a live crab that had pinched his daughter. The man, identified as 39-year-old Lu of Zhejiang, was hospitalised with severe back pain and parasitic infections exactly two months after he ate the crab.

The crustacean had nipped his child with one of its pincers when they were crossing a stream. Lu got so angry with the crab that he swallowed it alive. He was admitted to a local hospital, but doctors were unable to determine what caused the infection.

"We repeatedly asked him if he had ever eaten game, or anything unusual, anything that could cause allergies. He said no to all," said Dr Cao Qian, the director of the digestive system department at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital in Hangzhou.

The cause came to light only after Lu's wife revealed that he had eaten a crab. He then admitted to having eaten the crab out of spite. "I asked him, 'Why did you eat a live crab?' He said, 'I wanted to take revenge for my daughter'," Dr Cao said.

His blood test reports showed that he had developed at least three parasitic infections because he ate the uncooked crab. He has since recovered but still needs to follow up with the doctors.

Eating crab is common in several parts of China, including in provinces like Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu.

It is mostly eaten cooked, but it is served raw in many parts of China. The dish is called "drunken crabs" as the crabs are marinated in alcohol before being served. But it is not 100 percent safe to eat.

"Theoretically it's better to eat something marinated than completely raw because it has been treated with alcohol which can help kill parasites and bacteria," Cao said, per the South China Morning Post. "But it can't kill all parasites, so it's not 100 percent safe either."

The doctors warn against eating live crabs as people might get parasitic infections from them.