Florida: Man dies suddenly after eating dozens of insects

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This has a reasonable chance to be infectious:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/edward-archbold-roach-eating-contest_n_1949589.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D217326

Edward Archbold, Roach-Eating Contest Winner, Dies After Eating 'Dozens' Of Insects At Ben Siegel Reptile Store (VIDEO)

A South Florida man collapsed and died Friday night after winning a snake in a roach-eating contest.

32-year-old Edward Archbold had signed up to eat a variety of insects and worms at Ben Siegel Reptile Store in Deerfield Beach, where staff promised a female ivory ball python to the "Eat Bugs For Balls" winner.

But after taking the contest by eating "dozens" of worms and roaches, Archbold fell ill and threw up before collapsing in front of the store, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office. He was later pronounced dead at hospital.

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Re: Florida: Man dies suddenly after eating dozens of insects

http://www.examiner.com/article/florida-man-edward-archbold-wins-roach-eating-contest-and-then-dies

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According to the release, shortly after the contest Archbold started complaining that he wasn't feeling well. He then collapsed a short time later in front of the same store that pronounced him the roach eating champion a short time earlier.

Broward emergency services arrived on the scene and transferred Archbold to Broward Health North where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The Broward Medical Examiner will be performing a full autopsy on Archbold to investigate his cause of death.

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Re: Florida: Man dies suddenly after eating dozens of insects

http://www.sheriff.org/posts/post.cfm?id=423257e6-b115-a14a-8258-0c126638f145

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Broward Sheriff?s Office detectives are investigating the death of a man who collapsed and died after participating in a roach-eating contest Friday night (Oct. 5).

The grand prize of the contest at Ben Siegel Reptile Store in Deerfield Beach was a Python. Several contestants signed up to eat a variety of insects for the chance to win the exotic reptile. Shortly after the contest was over, the winner of the challenge, Edward Archbold, 32, wasn?t feeling well and began to regurgitate. He had consumed dozens of roaches and worms. He later collapsed in front of the store. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue responded to the scene and transported Archbold to Broward Health North, where he was later pronounced dead.

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[JimO]

Re: Florida: Man dies suddenly after eating dozens of insects

Could it be a toxin? Perhaps the "bugs" were contaminated with a pesticide or some other toxin?

[Emily]

Re: Florida: Man dies suddenly after eating dozens of insects

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/articl...749.php#page-2

Man's roach-eating death raises question: Why?
SUZETTE LABOY, Associated Press|TAMARA LUSH
Updated 3:03 p.m., Tuesday, October 9, 2012

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Schal said this was likely an allergic response, "but there is always a possibility that cockroaches do carry bacteria but the response won't be immediate. It would take time for bacteria to be a problem."

He added that there could be other complications.

"When cockroaches like this die or are sick, they can have bacterial infections," Schal said. "But the fact that he was the only one affected, it suggests that it's something about his physiology."

Mike Tringale, the vice president of The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, said it's possible that Archbold "hit his tolerance level to cockroach allergens" and went into anaphylactic shock.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/articl...#ixzz28qYNznNX

The roaches were 3-4 inches long and consumed while alive. Rapidly eating large amount of uncooked (live) roaches and other insects in these modern-day geek shows doesn't have a lot of history. Maybe his stomach got cut up by the roaches.

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Re: Florida: Man dies suddenly after eating dozens of insects

Most insect venoms are designed to do damage in the bloodstream, not the GI tract, so ingestion of a venom is unlikely to do this.

I think I agree with Emily that sudden vomitting followed by a sudden fatality does sound like some kind of gastro-intestinal rupture. Could the man have had an ulcer? Could one of the bugs have bit his esophagus? Or could he have eaten enough to rupture his stomach?

I wonder if the vomitting was bloody or not, as that would be an important clue.