India: Affected by lychee toxin, 47 children died from encephalitis

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ライチ由来の毒素が影響、脳炎で子ども４７人死亡　インド

2019.06.15 Sat posted at 12:02 JST

 

インド北部で、ライチの種に含まれる毒素から脳炎を発症する子どもが相次いでいる/Shutterstock

（ＣＮＮ） インド北部で、果物のライチに含まれる毒素の影響で子どもが脳炎を発症し、死亡するケースが相次いでいる。現地の保健当局が明らかにしたところによると、その数は過去３週間で４７人に上る。

ビハール州の当局者が１３日に発表した。州内の街にある２つの病院が診断した急性脳炎の患者は今年１月以降で計１７９人。ただここ２～３週間前まで死者は出ていなかった。

２０１３年には同じく北部に位置するウッタルプラデシュ州で、少なくとも３５１人が脳炎のために死亡している。

州保健省は死因を低血糖とする一方で、現地で広範に栽培されているライチも要因だと指摘する。

２０１７年刊行の医学誌に掲載された研究論文によると、発症の相次いだ村では親たちが子どもたちについて、近くの果樹園のライチを食べて１日の大半を過ごすと報告していた。ライチで空腹を満たした子どもたちが夕食を取らずに就寝すると、夜間に体内の血糖値が低下するという。

血糖値が下がると体は脂肪酸を代謝してグルコースを作ろうとするが、ライチの種に含まれている毒素が体内に存在すると「グルコースの合成は著しく阻害される」と論文は指摘。こうした状態が危険な水準の低血糖や脳の炎症を引き起こすとしている。

ライチの種の毒素は、熟していない果実に高いレベルで含まれている。病気を発症した子どもの尿サンプルを分析したところ全体の３分の２でこれらの毒素が検出された。

州の保健当局者は脳炎にかかった子どもたちについて「貧困家庭の出身で、糖分が足りていない。栄養不良にも陥っている」と説明。州内にすむ親たちに対し、子どもにしっかりと水分を摂取させ、空腹のまま就寝させないよう心掛けるように警告した。

Translation

 In northern India in succession children developed encephalitis from toxins contained in lychee seeds / Shutterstock

(CNN) In northern India, children developed encephalitis and died from the effects of toxins contained in lychee fruit. The number had reached 47 in the past three weeks, according to local health authorities.

Official from the state of Bihar made the announcement on the 13th. A total of 179 patients with acute encephalitis had been diagnosed by two hospitals in the towns of the state since January this year. However, there were no deaths until two to three weeks ago.

At least 351 people had died from encephalitis in 2013 in Uttar Pradesh which also at the same location in the north.

While the state health department decided that the cause of death was hypoglycemia, it also pointed out that lychee widely grown locally was a factor.

According to a research paper published in a 2017 medical journal, parents reported that children spend most of the day eating children's lychees in nearby orchards, in a village where the outbreak of illness occurred one after another. When children merely eating lychee when hungry went to bed without having dinner, the body's blood sugar levels dropped at night.

When blood sugar levels fell, the body tried to metabolize fatty acids to make glucose. But the paper pointed out that "the synthesis of glucose is significantly inhibited" if the toxin contained in Lychee species was present in the body. It was said that these conditions caused dangerous levels of hypoglycemia and brain inflammation.

About Lychee seed toxins, a high level could be found in unripe fruits. Analysis of urine samples from children who developed the disease showed that these toxins were detected in two thirds of all the children.

State health officials had described children with encephalitis as "from a poor family and lacking in sugar. They are also malnourished." Parents who lived in the state were warned to remember letting their children drink enough water and not to allow them going to bed hungry.

     So, lychee eating could be hazardous to life if you are from a poor family.