Colchicine poisoning resulting from accidental ingestion of meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale)

J Forensic Sci. 2002 Nov;47(6):1391-6.

Abstract

A rare case of colchicine poisoning resulting from accidental ingestion of meadow saffron (Colchicun Autumnale) is reported. The plant can frequently be found in the woods of the Northern Hemisphere (1), also in Japan. A 48-year-old male was admitted to hospital complaining of vomiting, nausea and diarrhea following ingestion of the plant and died in four days. The most striking histological findings were metaphasic mitotic figures in the mucosa of the large intestine and the liver. Colchicine was detected in the bile with high-performance liquid chromatography/sonicspray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC/SSI-MS).

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Accidents
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Colchicine / poisoning*
  • Colchicum / poisoning*
  • Colon / pathology
  • Diarrhea / chemically induced
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Forensic Medicine
  • Humans
  • Intestinal Mucosa / pathology
  • Liver / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nausea / chemically induced
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
  • Vomiting / chemically induced

Substances

  • Colchicine