A 69-year-old man tragically passed away after drinking a popular holiday drink.
The unnamed man from Aarhus, Denmark, took a sip of coconut water from a spoiled coconut that had been sitting on his kitchen table for weeks, and it ended in tragedy.
According to The Mirror, he told his wife the beverage “looked rotten” and had a “foul taste” before throwing the coconut in the trash, but the damage was already done.
Medics said he had only swallowed a “small amount” of the juice through a straw before realizing something was off. When he cracked the coconut open, he found the inside “slimy.” It had been left unrefrigerated at room temperature for about a month.
Roughly three hours later, the 69-year-old began sweating, developed a high fever, and started vomiting. When paramedics arrived, they found him disoriented, pale, and unable to maintain his balance.
He was rushed to the hospital, where an MRI showed he had suffered severe brain swelling.
Doctors moved him to intensive care and began treatment for metabolic encephalopathy, which is a change in how your brain works due to an underlying condition, per Cleveland Clinic. It can cause “confusion, memory loss and loss of consciousness”.
Despite efforts to save him, the man was declared brain dead just 26 hours after being admitted.
An autopsy discovered that there were traces of a rare fungus, arthrinium saccharicola, in his windpipe. Analysis of the discarded coconut soon confirmed it was contaminated with the same fungus, which produces a deadly toxin called 3-nitropropionic acid.
This toxin, known to cause severe brain damage, has previously been linked to poisoning cases in China and Africa involving spoiled sugarcane.
“The symptoms of 3-NPA toxicity in humans are similar to those for bongkrekic acid, as described regarding sugar cane poisoning in humans in China and Africa, including initial gastrointestinal symptoms with vomiting and diarrhoea and progressing encephalopathy leading to coma and death,” wrote Thomas Birkelund, who published the case on ResearchGate. “These symptoms are similar to those of the patient."
He added: “The collaboration between several national and international authorities contributed to resolve this challenging case, providing an understanding of the rapid disease progression and sudden death of the patient.”
The case has sparked warnings over coconut water safety, particularly with how it's stored.
Dr Samuel Choudhury, based in Singapore, urged his social media followers, explaining: “Always store these coconuts in the fridge because they are already partially peeled. Only whole coconuts can be stored at room temperature.”
Experts now advise that whole coconuts should be consumed within a few days and that once opened or peeled, they must be refrigerated immediately.