title: Post-mortem serum concentration of cantharidin in a fatal case of cantharides poisoning.
abstract: A patient admitted to hospital died shortly after admission without a proper diagnosis having been made. Symptoms as well as the presence of a brown powder found in the possession of the deceased indicated the possibility of cantharidin intoxication. Cantharidin was positively identified by means of a GC/MS analysis, utilizing the selected ion monitoring technique (SIM), for m/z = 197.0813, (M + H+) for cantharidin, under positive chemical ionization conditions at a resolution of 7000 and a mass window of 30 ppm. Quantitation was done by means of a GC/MS SIM analysis of a toluene extract of acidified post-mortem serum under El+ conditions at a resolution of 3000, using clofibrate as internal standard and monitoring m/z = 128.0473 and 128.0029 for cantharidin and clofibrate respectively. The post-mortem serum was found to contain cantharidin at a concentration of 72.3 ng/ml whilst the cantharides powder contained 0.87% cantharidin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, University of the Orange Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Hundt
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Steyn
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002193:Cantharidin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000506:poisoning; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011180:Postmortem Changes
chemical_list: D002193:Cantharidin