ABSTRACT
Intoxication produced by Karwinskia humboldtiana presents a neurological picture similar to that of poliomyelitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome or other polyradiculoneuritis with which it is frequently confused. The purpose of this paper is to report the frequency of this intoxication, by means of the antecedent of ingestion of the fruit and the detection of toxins in blood using a thin layer chromatography method. One hundred fifty four samples of cases with acute flaccid paralysis from 18 states of the country were received. The antecedent of ingestion in 56 of them was corroborated and the detection was positive in 50 of these. In 98 patients there was not antecedent of ingestion and detection was negative in 95 of them. We estimated that the sensibility and specificity of detection method are 89% and 96.9% respectively.
Subject(s)
Plant Poisoning/epidemiology , Plants, Medicinal , Plants, Toxic , Rhamnus , Adolescent , Aged , Child , Child, Preschool , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Incidence , Infant , Male , Mexico/epidemiology , Muscle Hypotonia/diagnosis , Muscle Hypotonia/epidemiology , Muscle Hypotonia/etiology , Paralysis/diagnosis , Paralysis/epidemiology , Paralysis/etiology , Plant Poisoning/complications , Plant Poisoning/diagnosis , Polyradiculoneuropathy/diagnosisABSTRACT
The ingestion of ripe fruit of the Karwinskia humboldtiana, a shrub commonly known as tullidora or coyotillo, produces an intoxication described in the literature as a symmetric flaccid paralysis of the hind limbs, progressive and ascendent, that in severe cases may cause bulbar paralysis and death. The cause of an acute accidental intoxication of an entire family is presented here, wherein ten out of thirteen members ingested the ripe fruit of the tullidora. Three died, the father and two daughters. For the first time the toxins determination in blood by thin layer chromatography method is described. This method supports the diagnosis with other polyradiculoneuritis such as poliomyelitis and the Guillain Barre's syndrome.
