Investigation and analysis of a poisoning outbreak caused by the wild plant Dichroa

Abstract

ObjectiveA dichroine poisoning outbreak caused by the accidental ingestion of fresh Dichroa yunnanensis was investigated and resolved， which can provide scientific support for the clinical treatment and further prevention of dichroine poisoning.MethodsA systemic epidemiological investigation， hygiene investigation， laboratory tests， morphology analysis， and molecular identification of the plant were conducted soon after the incident， and poison treatment consisted of evaluating clinical symptoms， giving therapeutic drugs， and achieving a patient cure.ResultsBased on the botanical and molecular biological identification results of Dichroa yunnanensis， the sample involved in the poisoning incident was confirmed to be Dichroa yunnanensis， Yunnan Province. The toxic substance responsible for the poisoning was an alkali from Dichroa yunnanensi， with a 100% effect rate among individuals who consumed it. Clinical manifestations included mainly nausea， vomiting， diarrhea， tenesmus， and other gastrointestinal symptoms， which abated within 24 h of fluid rehydration， stomach protection， potassium supplementation， and broad-spectrum detoxification treatment， without additional symptoms.ConclusionThis incident of dichroine poisoning was caused by the accidental consumption of fresh Dichroa yunnanensis. As no D. yunnanensis poisoning case has been reported previously in China， this report has important reference value for the prevention and clinical treatment of similar poisoning events in the future.

Keywords

• dichroa
• dichroine
• foodborne disease
• epidemiological investigation