Beetle soldier ‘slightly better’
A soldier who ate a poisonous beetle last month is still in intensive care, although his condition has improved “ slightly”. Darren Mangion, 30, of Żejtun, has been i n hospital since he ingested the blister beetle on March 17 in a dare with...
A soldier who ate a poisonous beetle last month is still in intensive care, although his condition has improved “ slightly”.
Darren Mangion, 30, of Żejtun, has been i n hospital since he ingested the blister beetle on March 17 in a dare with colleagues during his lunch break.
The Armed Forces of Malta launched an internal inquiry to establish the circumstances that led Mr Mangion, who was stationed at Luqa Airport, to eat the bug.
Mr Mangion, who has a oneyear-old daughter, had, without realising , picked t he most poisonous insect on the island to eat.
Within 24 hours , he suffered complete renal failure and f ell into a coma.
The blister beetle , or oil beetle , is one of the rarer kinds and t here are 10 species of it .
The insect has a distinctive shape, as its abdomen i s very exposed.
It contains a powerful poison, cantharidin , which can be deadly to humans if ingested. If the beetle comes into contact with skin, it oozes an oily poison that forms blisters.