Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, 510515 Guangzhou, China; Institute of Legal Medicine, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, 510515 Guangzhou, China.
Forensic Sci Int. 2021 Apr;321:110745. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110745. Epub 2021 Feb 27.
We present a case of fatal poisoning from accidental ingestion of Gelsemium elegans (G. elegans), a rarely toxic plant. A 41-year-old man was found dead, at his home, 6 h after drinking homemade herbal liqueur during lunch. Autopsy and routine toxicological analyses identified neither significant pathological findings nor routine poisons. However, a local botanist revealed that the homemade herbal liqueur contained G. elegans, a poisonous plant specific to Asia. To ascertain whether the decedent had ingested G. elegans, we performed liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and found two alkaloids (gelsemine and koumine) in his blood, gastric contents, as well as the suspected herbal liqueur. The cause of death was therefore confirmed to be G. elegans poisoning. Case reports of fatal poisoning due to ingestion of G. elegans are quite rare in English. Therefore, the present case broadens the scope on the possibility of death due to ingestion of G. elegans for forensic pathologists and toxicologists.
我们报告了一例因意外摄入钩吻（Gelsemium elegans，G. elegans）而致命中毒的病例，钩吻是一种罕见的有毒植物。一名 41 岁男子在午餐时饮用自制草药酒后，6 小时后被发现死在家中。尸检和常规毒理学分析既未发现明显的病理发现，也未发现常规毒物。然而，当地一位植物学家透露，自制草药酒中含有钩吻，这是一种亚洲特有的有毒植物。为了确定死者是否摄入了钩吻，我们进行了液相色谱-质谱（LC-MS）分析，在死者的血液、胃内容物以及可疑的草药酒中均发现了两种生物碱（钩吻素甲和钩吻素子）。因此，死因被确认为钩吻中毒。由于摄入钩吻而导致致命中毒的病例报告在英语中相当罕见。因此，本病例拓宽了法医病理学家和毒理学家对因摄入钩吻而死亡的可能性的认识。
