Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.)
August 18, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Mass Datura poisoning in Martinique - a descriptive case series.
Florentin J, Kallel H, Boudeau-Zohair N, Neviere R, Mégarbane B, Resiere D.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
A mass Datura poisoning in Martinique from contaminated buckwheat flour affected 51 people with mostly mild-to-moderate anticholinergic symptoms, and all recovered.
What was studied
A descriptive case series of 51 patients with presumed Datura poisoning in Martinique (February-March 2019).
Key findings
- Median age 40; 62% female.
- Symptom onset at median 1 hour.
- Dry mouth 67%, vertigo 43%, inebriation 43%, GI symptoms 31%.
- One ICU admission; all recovered.
Clinical relevance
This highlights the value of rapid public health response and toxicosurveillance in food-borne anticholinergic poisoning outbreaks.
Who should care
Limitations
Retrospective descriptive data.
Contaminated flour caused a Datura poisoning cluster—fast public health action limited harm.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Introduction
The severity and clinical consequences of exposure to Datura have been infrequently investigated. No data exist in the French Indies of America. We aimed to describe presentations and outcomes in a mass poisoning attributed to a Datura-contaminated batch of organic buckwheat flour, managed in Martinique.
Methods
All patients who contacted the emergency call center or were treated at Martinique's University Hospital for presumed Datura poisoning in February-March 2019 were included. Data were collected retrospectively from the records. Quantitative parameters are expressed as median, [IQR].
Results
Fifty-one poisoned patients were identified including 31 females (62%) and 20 males (38%), with a median age of 40 years [IQR 30-53 years]. Time to symptom onset was one hour [IQR 1-2 hours]. The most frequent symptoms included dry mouth (67%), vertigo (43%), inebriation (43%) and gastrointestinal disturbances (31%). One patient required intensive care. All patients recovered completely.
Discussion
The rapid intervention of the Regional Health Agency, retrieving the incriminated batch and informing the public together with hospital team's engagement, limited the extent of poisonings.
Conclusion
Martinique's Datura contamination of buckwheat flour resulted in fifty-one poisonings with mild-to-moderate toxicities. A multidisciplinary toxicosurveillance and a rapid public health response are required to limit the extent of population exposure and poisoning severity.
DOI
10.1080/15563650.2026.2649349
PMID
42610675
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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