Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31208431›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2019

Fatal cases associated with eating chapatti contaminated with organophosphate in Tororo District, Eastern Uganda, 2015: case series.

Benon Kwesiga, Alex R Ario, Lilian Bulage, Julie Harris, Bao-Ping Zhu

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Oxidative Stress and Analysis of Selected SNPs ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2020
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Understanding Research Study Designs.Indian journal of critical care medicine : peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine · 2019
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Benon KwesigaUganda Public Health Fellowship Program, Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda. benon.kwesiga@musph.ac.ug.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0400-8635
Alex R ArioUganda Public Health Fellowship Program, Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Lilian BulageUganda Public Health Fellowship Program, Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Julie HarrisDivision of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Bao-Ping ZhuUnited States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Kampala, Uganda.

Funding

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cooperative Agreement GH001353-01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFew cases of organophosphate poisoning in developing countries have been investigated using clinical and epidemiological methods. On 30 October 2015, 3 students at Mukuju School, Tororo District, Uganda, died soon after eating chapatti (locally-made flat bread) from the same food stand. Ministry of Health investigated to identify the cause and recommend prevention measures.

methodsWe defined a case as onset during 30-31 October 2015 in a resident of Mukuju Town of ≥1 of the following symptoms: excessive saliva, profuse sweating, dizziness, low blood pressure, constricted pupils or loss of consciousness. We reviewed medical/police records and interviewed survivors, healthcare workers, and police officers. We collected samples of implicated food for toxicological analysis. Autopsies were performed on decedents to identify the cause of death.

resultsWe identified 7 cases with 3 deaths (case-fatality ratio = 43%). Clinical manifestations included acute onset of confusion (100%), constricted pupils (43%), excessive saliva (43%), and low blood pressure (43%). All 7 cases had onset from 16:00-18:00 h on 30 October, with a point-source exposure pattern. Of the 7 cases, 86% (6/7) were men; the mean age was 24 (range: 20-32) years. The 3 decedents each ate a whole chapatti while the other 4 cases ate half or less. Autopsy findings of the 3 decedents indicated organophosphate poisoning. Toxicological analysis found high levels of malathion in leftover foods (266 mg/L in dough and 258 mg/L in chapatti) and malaoxon (a highly toxic malathion derivative) in decedents' postmortem specimens (mean levels of 19 mg/L in the blood and 22 mg/L in the gastric contents). There was a delay of 4 h before the patients received appropriate treatment. Police investigations revealed that flour used to make the chapatti was intentionally contaminated with an organophosphate pesticide.

conclusionThis fatal outbreak of organophosphate poisoning was associated with consumption of roadside-vended chapatti made of flour contaminated with pesticide. Clinicians should be aware of symptoms of organophosphate poisoning and prepared to treat it quickly. Street vendors should carefully consider the source of their ingredients. An in-depth surveillance review of such poisonings in Uganda would guide policymakers in reducing access by criminals and accidental exposures for the public.

Indexed as

Food ContaminationAdultBreadFatal OutcomeFemaleHumansMaleOrganophosphate PoisoningUgandaYoung AdultOrganophosphatePesticidePoisoningUganda

Identifiers

PMID31208431
PMCPMC6580625

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.