Grim twist in gecko man’s death as it emerges that father who died after eating a lizard as a Christmas party dare may actually have been killed by ANOTHER animal
- David Dowell, 35, was dared to eat a gecko at a Christmas party on December 1
- Dad-of-three went into hospital in ‘absolute agony’ with a swollen stomach
- He was diagnosed with a salmonella infection by medics in Brisbane
- New details emerged that he could have been killed by a tapeworm instead
- Were you at the Christmas party? Email [email protected]
The father who swallowed a gecko as a dare at a Christmas party and died 10 days after could have been killed by another animal.
David Dowell tragically died at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital on December 1 last year after being diagnosed with a salmonella infection from eating the gecko.
It has now emerged that the 35-year-old could have instead been killed by a tapeworm, Spirometra, which was inside the gecko.
David Dowell, 35 (pictured), died 10 days after a Christmas party on December 1, 2018
He was diagnosed with a salmonella infection at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital on December 4. Doctors initially thought it was caused by chicken, but it was the gecko (stock image)
David Dowell, tragically died just ten days after a Christmas party on December 1, 2018, where he ate the gecko
What is Sparganosis?
- Sparganosis is a parasitic infectious
- Transmitted by ingestion of contaminated water, frog, or snake
- When they’re in the human body they develop a swell
- Surgical removal is required for the parasite
- Parasites are animals or plants which must live on or in another plant or animal to survive
- Most parasites cannot be seen without a magnifying glass
‘Ten days is a very short time for a larval parasite inside the gecko to get into the intestine, attach and grow,’ taxonomist and ecologist Diane Barton told news.com.au.
‘If it was full of parasites, most likely the gecko would have been relatively easy to catch.’
He said it would certainly be an Asian house gecko if he was from Queensland.
Mr Dowell’s heartbroken partner has broken her silence about the incident and revealed she holds fears for her children.
Mr Dowell was taken to hospital after he felt like he was still hungover after the Christmas party.
When he arrived at the healthcare facility, David was in ‘absolute agony’ and was bloated, resembling someone who was six months pregnant.
Mr Dowell leaves behind his partner of 15 years, Allira Bricknell and three daughters – Alissa, Claudia and Sage.
Ms Bricknell (pictured with her late partner) paid tribute to her partner, calling him the ‘best dad’
Mr Dowell leaves behind his partner of 15 years, Allira Bricknell (pictured together) and three daughters – Alissa, Claudia and Sage
Talking to 7news.com.au, Ms Bricknell paid tribute to her partner, calling him the ‘best dad’ and the ‘life of the party’.
Ms Bricknell explained that she didn’t actually watch her partner eat the gecko.
‘It was a dare but I don’t know if it was a serious one, I was paying attention but not really because it was a Christmas party and the kids were invited,’ she said.
Ms Bricknell said the attention on her partner’s death left her ‘distressed’ because of how he was being remembered.
‘I didn’t want him remembered like this, I want to remember the happy times. I am really concerned about our three children, I want to protect them, I don’t want people harassing us because of this,’ she said.
The heartbroken partner of father-of-three David Dowell (pictured) who died after he was dared to eat a gecko at a party has broken her silence about the incident
Ms Bricknell described Mr Dowell as the ‘best person’ she had ever met and the ‘best dad’ to her children.
‘He was a great person, he was the best person I have ever met, he was the best dad to our children He was like a big kid, he was the joker… the life of the party,’ she said.
Mr Dowell’s sister told The Brisbane Times it was very confronting to see her brother in the state he was in, as he was vomiting green fluid, passing black urine and having fluid on his lungs.
‘When I went up and saw him, he was just in absolute agony,’ Hannah said.
Last Tuesday, on what would have been his 35th birthday, his family gathered beside the Logan River, where he often went fishing, to hold a vigil in his honour.
Hannah said her brother was ‘a great person’ and ‘one of a kind.’
Mr Dowell’s family are still searching for answers after hearing conflicting accounts from those who were at the party.
Ms Bricknell explained that she didn’t actually watch her partner eat the gecko, and said she didn’t know if the dare was serious
According to Hannah, doctors can’t be sure the alleged dare was the reason for Mr Dowell’s death because no one saw him actually eat the lizard.
She said while her brother may have been encouraged to complete the dare, he could potentially have indicated he was going to eat the gecko but then threw it away.
‘There has been no evidence that he actually ate it because there was: ‘Oh yeah I saw him eat it’. And then: ‘No, I didn’t see him eat it’,’ Hannah said.
Despite speculation he ate the lizard, Hannah said Mr Dowell’s family may never know for sure given no one who attended the party has confirmed it.
University of Queensland school of agriculture and food sciences deputy head Mark Turner said the gecko theory could have led to a Salmonella infection.
Mr Turner said there are a number of warm and cold-blooded animals that carry the Salmonella bacteria that can lead to poisoning, including snakes, frogs and geckos.
‘It’s possible that if the gecko was eaten, as it was being digested, the salmonella was released, but I have never heard of anything like this before,’ Mr Turner said.
Mr Dowell’s family have since claimed he suffered organ failure because he ‘basically rotted from the inside out’.
Source: Read Full Article