A case of acute keratoconjunctivitis from exposure to latex of Euphorbia tirucalli (pencil cactus).
We present a case of a 40-year-old man who suffered chemical eye injury from the latex of Euphorbia tirucalli (pencil cactus), resulting in acute keratoconjunctivitis. The Euphorbia genus of plants contains numerous species widely distributed throughout all major continents, and therefore this may be a more common Emergency Department occurrence than previously thought.
Shlamovitz
Gil Z
GZ
Department of Emergency Medicine, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1777, USA.
Gupta
Malkeet
M
Diaz
Jorge A
JA
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D052179:Antigens, Plant / Q000009:adverse effects; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000209:etiology*; D028481:Euphorbia / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D014792:Visual Acuity
D052179:Antigens, Plant