Medico-Legal Update

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Jatropha curcas Poisoning in a Group of Agricultural Labourer


Affiliations
1 Department of Forensic Medicine, Mamata Medical College, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


Jatropha curcas belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family and is found in the coastal areas of tropics. There are few reported cases of its poisoning in pediatric and in adults; we have not come across mass accidental poisoning among the agricultural farmers in literature. However, we found a group of 18 agricultural labourers affected by the poisoning of its seeds, who presented with complaints of vomiting, colicky abdominal pain, giddiness and diarrhea with in few minutes and reported to the casualty in a couple of hours. Illness was self-limiting without any complications during the entire hospital stay and follow up.

Keywords

Jatropha, Curcin, Neutrophilic Leukocytosis, Mydriasis
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Duke JA, Atchley AA. Proximate analysis. In: Christie, B.R. (ed.), The handbook of plant science in agriculture.1984. CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL.

  • Morton JF. Atlas of medicinal plants of Middle America. Bahamas to Yucatan.1981. C.C. Thomas, Springfield, IL.

  • Perry. Medicinal plants of east and Southeast Asia.1980. MIT Press, Cambridge.

  • Shah V, Sanmukhani J. Five Cases of Jatropha curcas poisoning.2010. Available: http:// www.japi.org/april_2010/Article_09.pdf. Last accessed 21st Dec 2011.

  • Watt JM, Breyer-Brandwijk MG. The medicinal and poisonous plants of southern and eastern Africa. 2nd ed.1962 E&S. Livingstone, Ltd., Edinburgh and London.

  • Koltin D, Uziel Y, Schneidermann D, Kotzki S, Wolach B, Fainmesser P. A case of Jatropha multifida poisoning resembling organophosphate intoxication.2006. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 44 (3), p.337-8.

  • Mathiharan K, Patnaik AK. Modi’s Medical Jurisprudence and toxicology.23rd ed.2005. Lexis Nexis Butterworths.p.251-52


Abstract Views: 699

PDF Views: 2




  • Jatropha curcas Poisoning in a Group of Agricultural Labourer

Abstract Views: 699  |  PDF Views: 2

Authors

S Sreedhar Reddy
Department of Forensic Medicine, Mamata Medical College, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India
KM Roop Kumar
Department of Forensic Medicine, Mamata Medical College, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India
S Sudhakar
Department of Forensic Medicine, Mamata Medical College, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India
G Mahesh
Department of Forensic Medicine, Mamata Medical College, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India
O Murugesa Bharathi
Department of Forensic Medicine, Mamata Medical College, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India
Uday Pal Singh
Department of Forensic Medicine, Mamata Medical College, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract


Jatropha curcas belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family and is found in the coastal areas of tropics. There are few reported cases of its poisoning in pediatric and in adults; we have not come across mass accidental poisoning among the agricultural farmers in literature. However, we found a group of 18 agricultural labourers affected by the poisoning of its seeds, who presented with complaints of vomiting, colicky abdominal pain, giddiness and diarrhea with in few minutes and reported to the casualty in a couple of hours. Illness was self-limiting without any complications during the entire hospital stay and follow up.

Keywords


Jatropha, Curcin, Neutrophilic Leukocytosis, Mydriasis

References