title: Baptisia poisoning: a new and toxic look-alike in the neighborhood.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Baptisia is commonly found in residential gardens as an ornamental plant, in municipal "rain gardens" for water control, as well as in native and restored prairie habitat. Cytisine, an alkaloid with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist properties, is a component of Baptisia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two patients poisoned after simultaneously ingesting Baptisia plant material are presented. In addition to findings of generalized nicotinic agonist toxicity, including generalized weakness and gastrointestinal symptoms, profound ataxia was present in both, consistent with recently described nicotinic subunit activity in the cerebellum. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Baptisia, a native prairie plant commonly found in restored prairie habitats and public spaces, has striking "look-alike" characteristics, in its immature state, to asparagus. As future exposures by foraging citizens will be likely, awareness of this relationship and the toxic manifestations of cytisine will be useful.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Residency Program, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Daniel F I
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Kurtycz
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cline
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000506:poisoning*; D027761:Asparagus Plant; D001259:Ataxia / Q000209:etiology; D001392:Azocines / Q000506:poisoning; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000506:poisoning*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000209:etiology; D009325:Nausea / Q000209:etiology; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000506:poisoning*; D011807:Quinolizines / Q000506:poisoning; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology; D000093843:Quinolizidine Alkaloids
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D001392:Azocines; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D011807:Quinolizines; C004712:cytisine; D000093843:Quinolizidine Alkaloids
keywords: Baptisia; asparagus; ataxia; cytisine; look-alike; nicotinic toxicity; poisoning