Argentinean Doctor on Brink of Death after Eating Pickled Vizcacha

Frank Zappa once warned: Don’t eat the yellow snow.

The same might be said about the vizcacha, a reclusive member of the South American bunny family that some food experts have recommended as a economical protein source. (See my Feb. ’09 post.) Seems that the experts didn’t realize that improperly prepared vizcacha is an ideal breeding ground for botulism, as one victim in Argentina recently found out.

Dr. Francisco Diez, a 45-year-old orthopedic surgeon, was rushed to a hospital in San Rafael in the Cuyo region of Argentina, on October 25, after contracting a local form of botulism, reported Diario Los Andes and other South American news sources.

Diez became violently ill after eating vizcacha en escabeche, a traditional Argentinean dish of rodent cooked in oil, onions and vinegar and stored in its pickled juices. Vizcacha are found in the Andes mountains of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru.

The doctor was admitted to Hospital Español del Sur Mendocino, where doctors put him on a respirator and attempted to stablize him, reported Los Andes. After twelve hours of testing, hospital staff identified the botulism as a type endemic to the region of Cuyo and Neuguen, where Diez had been visiting. A frantic search for the antidote ensued over several days, with three vials ultimately being transported from Plata, Mendoza, to the hospital in San Rafael.

Despite receiving the antidote, Diez’s condition worsened. By October 30, he remained in critical condition. Toxins had paralyzed his respiratory functions and he could breathe only with mechanical intervention. His face and the muscles in his body were paralyzed.

One week after being admitted to Hospital Español del Sur Mendocino, Diez was transferred by helicopter to Hospital Lagomaggiore, in Mendoza, where he could be “better attended,” reported Diario Los Andes on November 2.

No further updates have been made on his condition.

According to Los Andes, Mendoza is a high-risk area for contracting botulism. The paper notes that “the proliferation of bacteria and toxin formation usually occurs in improperly home-prepared foods that are processed, canned or bottled, [and that are] low acid,” as well as in pasteurized products that are not refrigerated.

The vizcacha en escabeche that Diez ate was prepared by a local family. No members of the family reported getting sick from the tainted rodent, says Los Andes. Diez’s own mother, who was with him on the trip, was offered the pickled vizcacha but turned it down. She expressed outrage that Argentinean hospitals are so poorly equipped to handle these kinds of botulism cases.

“This can happen to anyone; we are totally unprotected,” she told Los Andes on October 28.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, botulism is a “rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.” Symptoms begin with paralysis of the face and spread to the limbs, respiratory system and eventually the heart, causing death. The CDC notes that “all forms of botulism can be fatal and are considered medical emergencies.”

For those of you, like Anthony Bourdain, who approach eating as an extreme sport, here is a link to a Spanish-language recipe site that explains, step by step, how to prepare escabeche de vizcacha campero.

Buen probecho.