title: Fatal Honey Poisoning Caused by Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F in Southwest China: A Case Series.
abstract: Mad honey poisoning has been reported in many countries, and it seldom results in death. We describe a rare case series of fatal honey poisoning caused by Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) in Southwest China. Three male construction workers were delivered to the emergency department with symptoms of food poisoning after ingestion of wild raw honey. Laboratory results showed that the 3 patients were at different degrees of renal damage, and 1 patient with severe symptoms died of acute renal failure 1 day after admission. Pollen analysis indicated that the suspected honey was heavily contaminated with TwHF pollen. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are crucial for such poisoning. Pollen analysis is a practical approach to help diagnosis in remote areas where such honey poisoning occurs.
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Kunming, China (Drs Zhang, Liu, Wan, and Li); Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Drs Zhang and Chen). Electronic address: zhangqiang_cs@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Drs Zhang and Chen).
authors.forename: Xinguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Science, Mengzi, China (Ms Chen).
authors.forename: Shunan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Kunming, China (Drs Zhang, Liu, Wan, and Li).
authors.forename: Zhitao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Kunming, China (Drs Zhang, Liu, Wan, and Li).
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Kunming, China (Drs Zhang, Liu, Wan, and Li).
authors.forename: Juanjuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D006722:Honey / Q000506:poisoning*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D011058:Pollen; D029757:Tripterygium
keywords: acute renal failure; honey poisoning; pollen analysis