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Coumaphos intoxications mimic food poisoning
1Department of Emergency Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology
|January 1, 1995
Summary
Misuse of the pesticide coumaphos as a food flavoring caused severe food poisoning in six patients. Autonomic symptoms, alongside gastroenteritis, were key diagnostic indicators, with a 16.7% mortality rate observed.
Area of Science:
- Toxicology
- Gastroenterology
- Public Health
Background:
- Food poisoning reports from pesticide-contaminated food are uncommon in medical literature.
- Organophosphate pesticide misuse is a rare but serious cause of foodborne illness.
Observation:
- Six patients experienced food poisoning from coumaphos, a pesticide, misused as a food flavoring.
- Patients exhibited gastroenteritis and unusual extraintestinal cholinergic overactivity symptoms.
- Symptoms included miosis, urinary incontinence, and hypersalivation, suggesting organophosphate intoxication.
Findings:
- Diagnosis was confirmed by cholinesterase activity changes and coumaphos detection in food.
- One patient died on arrival; another required mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure.
- The observed mortality rate was 16.7% in this case series.
- Heating did not appear to mitigate the toxic effects of coumaphos when added during cooking.
Implications:
- Autonomic syndromes are crucial for diagnosing and managing food poisoning with organophosphate intoxication.
- Awareness of pesticide misuse in food is vital for public health surveillance.
- This highlights the need for stringent controls on pesticide use and food safety protocols.