Are You Allergic to Freeze-Dried Bloodworms?

[Daniel Chia]

Dear fellow betta lovers,

Does handling freeze-dried bloodworms give you an allergic reaction (e.g. sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy eyes, rash, etc.)?

The objective of this poll is to determine if this is a common problem among betta lovers in this forum.

http://www.bettaclub.org.sg/photoalbum/Daniel%20Chia/bloodworms.jpg

Please read carefully and select the most appropriate answer.

Thank you for your participation.

[Daniel Chia]

For those who are wondering why I'm conducting this poll, Dr Goldstein mentioned in his book, [u]Bettas: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual</u>, that some people can develop an allergic reaction when they use this form of food to feed their fish. His recommendation for people who have this form of allergy is to stop using it.

Faith of Betta Talk is one such unfortunate betta lover. To overcome this problem, she dons a mask whenever she handles freeze-dried bloodworms.

The outcome of this poll will enable us to know if this is problem exists among the people in this forum.

[sylwester]

Doesn it have to be freeze-dried?

I did not experiment any allergic reaction the last time i tasted it. (freezed, but not dried)

[Martin]

After I have openned the freeze dried blood worm and did not use it for few months , I noticed that there are thousands of tiny moving objects scatered in the can . Possibly it is the main cause of the allergy .

[Daniel Chia]

Martin, do store dried food stuff like worms and pellets carefully. They do get mouldy after a while and can become a culture for a variety of organisms.

Very interesting feedback, Sylwester. Personally, I've not tasted the stuff before. I'm actually quite bad at food-tasting.

[chue xiong]

im alergic to frozen and dried blood worm even if i touch it or if the water was touch by the food. i didnt get this reaction untill like 3 years ago then thats when it started kicking in for me. but i do sometimes feed my fish blood worm but with extra caution.

[Jodi Lea]

It's not the bug in the old tins Martin - it's definately the worms. I can't handle them at all. I use gloves to put the frozen ones into a container with a bit of water in it. Then I use tweezers to feed out the worms. I can't go anywhere near the freeze dried stuff. Even the smallest aerosol sets off asthma and sneezing fits. Once made the mistake of moving a display of BW at the petshop where I occasionally help out. Ended up at the chemist desperate to buy some anti-histamine tablets. Have always been allergic. I am however, allergic to many other things (eg cats) so probably just have one of those over-vigilent immune systems. A few of my fish keeping friends are also allergic to the frozen BWs. The freeze dried ones are not popular with breeders, but commonly sold to the public whenever a betta is purchased. I think minimising exposure is probably a wise thing.
Cheers, J

[Daniel Chia]

Chue Xiong,
It's good to hear that you are taking the necessary precautions.

Jodi,
Your allergy does sound very serious.

[Eugene]

Ever wonder why some bettas turn turtle after feeding on BWs?


Jodi, you're lucky you aint no betta splenden...heheh :)

[Jodi Lea]

yeah - boring old pellets for me!

[Myron Tay]

quote:Originally posted by sylwester

I did not experiment any allergic reaction the last time i tasted it. (freezed, but not dried)
Sylwester

Surely you meant "tested" rather than "tasted" right?

[Lynn Tan]

Tasting worms? Like what they do on those reality TV shows? Maybe it's not too impossible.

[sylwester]

Here where I'm going to tell you that I quiality test all food before I feed my fish, but no. But I have actually tasted it and it tastes hidious. Nothing worse happened with me that day than the taste. The only thing I have reacted on is baby brine but I'm almost sure it's the salt.

[vong xiong]

lolz:P

[Daniel Chia]

This reminds me of an episode in NBC's Fear Factor where contestants were served the "Fear Factor Spaghetti", a horrific dish made with.... I guess I'll not mention the details.

Anyway, according to Dr Goldstein's book, a person may develop an allergy to bloodworms progressively. This means that it is possible that a person develops an allergic reaction at a later stage.

Perhaps this explains why Chue Xiong did not experience the reaction until after having handled bloodworms for a period of time.
quote:Originally posted by chue xiong

im alergic to frozen and dried blood worm even if i touch it or if the water was touch by the food. i didnt get this reaction untill like 3 years ago then thats when it started kicking in for me. but i do sometimes feed my fish blood worm but with extra caution.

[Daniel Chia]

Based on the votes, we know that this problem does exists among some people in this forum.

As at April 30th 2004, 2 individuals out of 11 who indicated that they had the experience of handling freeze-dried bloodworms, are allergic to them.

For new comers and those who have not yet voted, you are still welcome to participate because this poll is still open.

With more votes, the result would definitely be more accurate and better represent the population in this forum.

Thank you.

[Abbey Wilkins]

I am very allergic to both fozen and freeze dried.
as far as i know its a certain protien in the worms that causes the reaction.

Its happened to me 3 times, the first was just itchy eyes, the 2nd i couldnt open my eyes very much and had to rush to the chemist, and the 3rd i donned gloves and a mask AND used tweezers, paying close attention to what i was doing, not touching my face at all. Within minutes my eyes were burning and i was back off to the chemist for eye drops and tablets to get the swelling down.

i dare not try it again! i could end up not being able to breathe!

My fish can just stick with pellets, brine shrimp and blackworms :)

[Daniel Chia]

Thank you for participating in the poll, Abbey.

Dr Goldstein did mention in his book that it is the protein from the bloodworms that causes allergic reactions in people.

[Daniel Chia]

Thank you for participating in the poll, Abbey.

Dr Goldstein did mention in his book that it is the protein from the bloodworms that causes allergic reactions in people.