FATAL HONEY POISONING IN SOUTHWEST CHINA: A CASE SERIES OF 31 CASES.
Qiang ZhangXinguang ChenShunan ChenYinlong YeJiancheng LuoJuanjuan LiSiyang YuHui LiuZhitao LiuPublished in: The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health (2018)
Honey poisoning cases occur in southwestern China. In this case series,
we attempted to determine the symptoms and causes of honey poisoning from
2007 to 2012 in southwestern China. We also conducted a quantitative melissopalynological
analysis of honey samples. During the study period, 31 honey
poisoning cases occurred in the study location, all during July to August. All the
cases occurred after consuming at least 100 grams of honey. The most frequent
symptoms were nausea and vomiting (100%), abdominal pain (90.3%), diarrhea
(74.2%), palpitations (61.3%), dizziness (54.8%), chest congestion (48.4%) and
dyspnea (48.4%). Severe cases developed oliguria/anuria, twitch, hematuria, ecchymosis
or hematochezia. The median time from ingestion to onset of symptoms
was 29 hours. Eight patients died (mortality rate: 25.8%). The pollen of Tripterygium
hypoglaucum (a plant with poisonous nectar and pollen) was detected in 22 of 29
honey samples examined (75.9%). The results of pollen analysis were consistent
with the clinical findings of previous cases. T. hypoglaucum appears to be the cause
of honey poisoning in southwestern China. Honey poisoning should be included
in the differential diagnosis of patients who consume honey in this region and
develop symptoms of food poisoning.