Systematic review of clinical manifestations, management and outcome following accidental ingestion of liquid mosquito repellent vaporiser in children.

BACKGROUND: Pyrethroid-based mosquito repellents are widely used to control mosquito-borne diseases. Liquid mosquito-repellent vaporisers are effective modes of pyrethroid delivery but can also pose significant health risks if ingested or used improperly. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review was performed to assess the demographic distribution, clinical presentation, management strategies and outcomes in children resulting from accidental ingestion of liquid mosquito repellent vaporiser. METHODS: The study adheres to the reporting standards outlined in the PRISMA Statement for Systematic Reviews and was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (record # CRD42023413937) to enhance transparency and minimise reporting bias. A comprehensive search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar using specific MeSH terms related to insecticides, mosquito repellents, pyrethroids, ingestion, poisoning, toxicity and prevention. The reference lists of the included studies were also reviewed for additional relevant articles. The inclusion criteria involved studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2023 that focused on children under 18 years old with a history of mosquito-repellent ingestion based on primary data. RESULTS: Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria; these were primarily case reports from India, China and the UAE. Male children were predominantly affected, and symptoms included vomiting, convulsions, cough and respiratory distress. Management primarily involved supportive and symptomatic measures, including atropine for salivation and antiepileptic drugs for seizures. Respiratory support was provided for respiratory complications. CONCLUSION: Despite the known risks and diverse presentations of pyrethroid poisoning caused by liquid mosquito repellent vaporiser in children, the limited substantial evidence in the literature underscores the urgent need for comprehensive research to refine management approaches and enhance preventive measures.

Mothball ingestion as a manifestation of pica, leading to paradichlorobenzene CNS toxicity.

BACKGROUND: Pica is a poorly understood psychiatric disorder that presents with the ingestion of non-nutritious substances for unclear reasons. A high index of suspicion for unusual toxin exposure aids in the diagnosis of pica patients presenting with unexplained neurodegenerative features. METHODS: We present a 47-year-old female with worsening gait over the past year. Prior to this, she was fully independent with activities of daily living, but is now mostly housebound due to frequent falls. Past medical history is significant for menorrhagia, iron deficiency anemia and pica. CBC and iron studies revealed iron deficiency with microcytic hypochromic anemia. MRI brain demonstrated symmetrical T2 hyperintensities within the middle cerebellar peduncles. RESULTS: Differential diagnoses for her clinical deficits and imaging, including Spinocerebellar Ataxia, Multiple System Atrophy and Fragile X Tremor-Ataxia Syndrome, were excluded based on neurological assessment, family history and genetic PCR testing. Collateral history revealed a regular habit of mothball ingestion and serum paradichlorobenzene levels were elevated to 15mcg/mL. The patient was treated with iron replacement therapy and her symptoms gradually improved over several months. CONCLUSION: Iron deficiency anemia is commonly associated with pica, which can lead to toxin ingestion. A high index of suspicion for toxin ingestion in pica patients can immensely aid in the diagnosis. Mothball abuse secondary to pica may affect the CNS and can present with nonspecific neurodegenerative changes. To our knowledge, there have been no reported cases in the literature with paradichlorobenzene neurotoxicity predominantly affecting the middle cerebellar peduncles.

Bug off! Severe toxicity following inhalational exposure to N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET).

N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) is an insect repellent currently used by millions of people since 1956. DEET has an excellent safety profile and has remarkable protection against mosquitoes, ticks and various other arthropods. Toxicity is unusual, and is generally associated with incorrect, or overuse of the product. We report a patient with severe toxicity following inhalational exposure to a "bug bomb". containing 98% DEET.

Characteristics of acute occupational pesticide exposures reported to poison control centers in Texas, 2000-2015.

In the United States, there is limited literature on occupational pesticide exposures despite being associated with adverse health outcomes, including in large states such as Texas. The purpose of this article is to characterize occupational pesticide poison center exposures in Texas. Descriptive statistics were used to describe exposures (eg, exposure routes, type of pesticide, medical outcome, clinical effects, and temporal/seasonal patterns). From 2000 to 2015, there were 2,303 occupational pesticide poison center exposures. Common types of reported pesticides were insecticides (67.3%), herbicides (17.7%), and repellents (5.8%). The highest proportion of exposures were among those aged 20 to 29 years (24.9%). The top clinical effect categories were gastrointestinal (25.8%), neurological (19.2%), and dermal (14.9%). Characterizing occupational pesticide poison center exposures can support improved surveillance systems and guide future research or interventions.

An algorithm for identifying mothball composition.

INTRODUCTION: Unintentional mothball ingestions may cause serious toxicity in small children. Camphor, naphthalene, and paradichlorobenzene mothballs are difficult to distinguish without packaging. Symptoms and management differ based on the ingested compound. Previous studies have used a variety of antiquated, impractical and potentially dangerous techniques to identify the mothballs. The goal of this study is to discover a simplified identification technique using materials readily available in an emergency department. METHODS: Mothballs made of naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene along with camphor tablets were tested. Each material was tested both intact and after being fragmented to simulate a partially ingested mothball. Each of these six sample types were then immersed in 40 ml each of 11 fluids: water, 0.45% NaCl, 0.9% NaCl, lactated Ringer's, 5% dextrose in water, 5% dextrose in 0.9% NaCl, 50% dextrose in water, 8.4% NaHCO3, 3% H2O2, 70% isopropanol, and 91% isopropanol. All tests were conducted in standard urinalysis sample cups to replicate available materials. Three toxicologists blinded to the identities of samples and solutions visually evaluated each sample. Observations included assessing response to immersion: sink, float, or dissolve. RESULTS: All evaluators agreed in their description of 62/66 (94%) of the samples, with all four disagreements being on sinking and dissolving versus sinking only. A two-fluid algorithm utilizing 50% dextrose and water was sufficient to distinguish the sample types. Camphor will float in water while both paradichlorobenzene and naphthalene will sink. In 50% dextrose, both naphthalene and camphor will float while paradichlorobenzene will sink. CONCLUSION: Mothball materials can be distinguished by immersion in water and 50% dextrose. Limitations of this study include using camphor tablets as a substitute for mothballs given lack of availability.

A patient presented with dark brown urine after mothballs powder ingestion.

We report a case who presented with dark brown urine and malaise after mothballs powder ingestion.

Skin necrosis caused by prallethrin-A worldwide used insecticide.

We report a case of necrosis caused by the use of prallethrin (mosquito repellent) on the skin in a 67-year-old diabetic female patient suffering from delusions of parasitosis. Cutaneous toxicity due to pyrethroids is less known or reported, despite well-documented pyrethroid poisoning involving the gastrointestinal, respiratory, cardiac, and nervous systems. Skin irritation has been described after acute accidental exposure but, as far as we know, no data have been published on the effects of pyrethroids when applied directly to the skin.

A lethal case of DEET toxicity due to intentional ingestion.

A 37-year-old male with prior medical history of profound developmental delay experienced seizure and cardiac arrest following ingestion of 6 ounces of a 40% N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) containing solution. The patient was unresponsive, acidemic, tachycardic and hypotensive on presentation. Over three hospital days, the patient's vitals recovered to baseline but he remained unresponsive and areflexic with fixed and dilated pupils. Non-contrast brain magnetic resonance imaging showed cerebral edema, transtentorial and tonsillar herniations. A rapid, simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was utilized for the analysis of postmortem plasma blood and urine samples of a lethal case of DEET intentional ingestion. The method combined the use of C18 SepPak cartridges for solid phase extraction and reversed-phase HPLC. One urine and five blood samples from this patient were analyzed for DEET concentration. Mixtures of serum/urine postcentrifuge were eluted and reduced to 1 mL using a solvent evaporator. Blood in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), whole blood, serum, blood with heparin and urine DEET concentrations were 9.84, 9.21, 10.18, 8.66dl and 0.642 mg/dL, respectively. All samples were collected <1 h postingestion. Although seizures and cardiac toxicity have been described in other case reports, this case is atypical due to the exceptional dose ingested and the timing of the fluid test samples being drawn so soon following exposure. Although a widely used and extremely safe insect repellent, DEET can be highly toxic in large but easily obtainable doses.

A rare case of toxic optic neuropathy secondary to consumption of neem oil.

A 35-year-old female was referred to our hospital with bilateral loss of vision of two days duration. She gave history of consumption of about 150 ml of neem oil five days back.Examination revealed no perception of light in both eyes. Both pupils were dilated and sluggishly reacting to light. Her fundus examination showed bilateral hyperemic, edematous discs and also edema extending along the superior and inferior temporal vascular arcade. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed bilateral putaminal regions with altered signal, hypointensities in T1-weighted images, hyperintensities on T2-weighted, images and hyperintense on Fluid Attenuation Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) images suggestive of cytotoxic edema due to tissue hypoxia. Her vision improved to 20/200 in both eyes with treatment after two months. This is the first case report of such nature in the literature to the best of our knowledge.

Severe acute illness in a toddler exposed to multiple agricultural pesticides and an insect repellent.

Acute severe pesticide-related illness among farm worker children is rarely reported. The authors report a toddler with acute onset of apnea, cyanosis, somnolence, hypotonia, tachycardia, and miosis who required hospitalization. Health care providers suspected pesticide poisoning, but were unable to determine the causal agent. Investigation by a public health program documented four pesticide exposures that occurred within one-half hour of acute illness. This case illustrates the importance of a thorough environmental/occupational exposure history and obtaining biological samples. It also documents the need to strengthen the Worker Protection Standard for agricultural workers and the importance of reporting and investigating pesticide-related illness.

Hemolytic anemia induced by ingestion of paradichlorobenzene mothballs.

Hemolytic anemia and methemoglobinemia are well-known adverse effects that follow ingestion of naphthalene mothballs. They are only rarely reported in association with ingestion of paradichlorobenzene mothballs. An asymptomatic boy presented to our pediatric emergency department after ingesting paradichlorobenzene mothballs. Three daysafter the ingestion, the boy returned with hemolysis and mild methemoglobinemia.

Problemática de la coadministración del repelente de insectos DEET y bromuro de piridostigmina en el pretratamiento de las intoxicaciones por agentes neurotóxicos de guerra / Problems form deet insect repellent and pyridostigmine bromide nerve agent pretreatment coexposure

DEET sigue siendo considerado el más eficaz de los repelentes de insectos disponibles, tanto por su espectro de acción como por la duración del efecto. El pretratamiento con bromuro de piridostigmina (BP) es el pretratamiento de las intoxicaciones por agentes neurotóxicos de guerra implantado en la mayoría de las Fuerzas Armadas de las naciones de la OTAN. Las asociación DEET-BP ha sido estudiada como factor causal de las neuropatías que padecen algunos veteranos de la primera Guerra del Golfo Pérsico y si bien a fecha de hoy no se ha demostrado esta relación, distintos estudios in vivo en modelos animales indican un efecto tóxico potenciado al coadministrar ambas sustancias. Por este motivo se recomiendan alternativas al DEET durante el período de pretratamiento con BP, sobre todo las de tipo pasivo, ya que no hay estudios de interacción toxicológica entre el BP y otros repelentes (AU)

DEET is the most effective insect repellent currently available, as a consequence of its broad action spectrum an long lasting effect. Nerve agent pretreatment with pyridostigmine bromide (PB) is the common action in NATO countries DEET-PB association has been studied as an origen of neuropathies affecting some veterans from the first Gulf War. Although no relationship has been established presently, different in vivo studies in animal models show an increased toxic effect when there is a coexposure to both substances. For this reason DEET alternatives are recommended in the meantime of PB pretreatment. Passive measures are specially recommended while there are no studies in toxicological interactions of PB and other coexposures with repellents of insects (AU)

Mosquito repellents and superwarfarin rodenticides--are they really toxic in children?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In many United States households, there are many substances used to control the exposure of our children to mosquitoes, mice and rats. This review provides information on common mosquito repellents and rodenticides used in households and discusses their toxicity, in order to help pediatricians better advise their patients of their proper use. RECENT FINDINGS: A recent study has demonstrated that many continue to have practices of applying DEET (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) based repellents that may lead to undesirable effects. Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are two products that have recently been shown to have an efficacy similar to that of DEET-based repellents. Studies within the last five years show that most unintentional superwarfarin ingestions can be managed at home with close outpatient follow-up. There does not appear to be a benefit of prophylactic vitamin K or gastrointestinal decontamination in patients with relatively small ingestions of superwarfarins. SUMMARY: With education and correct usage, mosquito repellents and the superwarfarin rodenticides can help protect children from significant vector-borne diseases. Not all exposures lead to significant morbidity or mortality. With recognition of the current literature, most of these exposures can be managed safely at home or as an outpatient, ultimately saving healthcare costs.