A businessman from Shanghai spent more than a month in hospital with severe intestinal damage after a trip to Thailand. In a case Chinese media have linked to raw marinated seafood.
According to Shanghai Media Group, the man, identified only by his surname Xu, ate a large amount of raw marinated seafood and some spoiled drinks while travelling for work. He had mild stomach discomfort at first. He ignored it, assuming he had simply had too many cold drinks.
His condition deteriorated sharply after returning to China. He developed extensive intestinal ulceration, repeated internal bleeding and septic shock. Tests confirmed an amoebic infection.
Surgery at a first hospital did not help. His family was told his condition was critical before he was transferred to the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre. On admission his haemoglobin was below 6g, indicating severe anaemia. His blood clotting had failed, and ulcers covered both his small and large intestine. He was too weak to undergo further surgery.
He was treated for more than 30 days before he was out of danger.
The case has revived a debate that flared in 2024. That debate began when a Chinese food blogger fell ill after eating marinated raw seafood at a Thai night market and warned his followers on Weibo.
Several Chinese headlines described the parasite as a brain-eating amoeba. That is inaccurate.
The organism doctors identified was Entamoeba histolytica, which causes amoebic dysentery and attacks the intestine and sometimes the liver. The brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is a different organism entirely. It is usually contracted through the nose in warm fresh water. Thailand’s Disease Control Department has said the risk of dying from that amoeba here is very small, with 17 recorded infections in 40 years.
Entamoeba histolytica spreads through food or water contaminated with faecal matter, not through seafood specifically. Raw dishes carry higher risk because nothing kills the cysts before eating. Thai health officials have made the same point about other raw seafood trends. That includes the live “squid shots” popularised on TikTok.
Most infections cause mild diarrhoea and stomach pain. That is why cases are often mistaken for ordinary gastroenteritis and treated with anti-diarrhoea medication. Severe cases are rare but can be fatal.
Doctors warn that persistent bloody diarrhoea, ongoing fever or worsening abdominal pain after travel needs medical attention rather than self-treatment. A month in intensive care is also a reminder of how quickly bills climb without cover. That is why health insurance matters for anyone staying in Thailand long term.
Practical advice for anyone eating raw seafood in Thailand
- Choose busy places with high turnover.
- Avoid raw dishes that have been sitting out.
- Drink bottled or properly treated water, including ice from reliable sources.
- If symptoms appear after returning home, tell the doctor where you travelled, since amoebic infection is easy to miss without that context.
source: HK01
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