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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Litchi behind mystery deaths in Bihar: US-India study -Durgesh Nandan Jha

Litchi behind mystery deaths in Bihar: US-India study -Durgesh Nandan Jha

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published Published on Feb 1, 2017   modified Modified on Feb 1, 2017
-The Times of India

NEW DELHI: The mystery behind the outbreak of an unexplained neurological illness in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, which had claimed nearly 100 lives each year till 2014, has been solved. Scientists from the US and India, after a joint investigation, have concluded that consuming litchi --a tropical fruit Muzaffarpur is famous for- on an empty stomach triggers the illness and death.

Seasonal outbreak of the mysterious illness, characterised by acute seizures and changed mental status, has been plaguing Muzaffarpur for nearly two decades. Some similar cases have been reported from Malda in West Bengal.

According to researchers, skipping an evening meal results in night-time hypoglycaemia, or low-blood sugar, particularly in children with limited reserve of glycogen -glucose stored in liver and muscles. This triggers oxidation of fatty acids for energy production and generation of glucose. However, naturally-occurring toxins that are found in litchis --hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine (MPCG) - disrupt the fatty acid metabolism, leading to acutely low levels of blood sugar. This further affects brain function, leading to acute seizures and stroke. The reserach findings have been published in the latest issue of medical journal The Lancet. For years, many theories were proposed for the seasonal outbreak, including the possibility of pesticide exposure and infectious encephalitis, but no one could confirm anything.

In 2013, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in India and US Center for Disease Control initiated a joint investigation into the matter. The hospital-based surveillance involved laboratory investigations to assess potential infectious and non-infectious causes in 390 children less than 15 years old, who were admitted to Shri Krishna Medical College hospital and Krishnadevi Deviprasad Kejriwal maternity hospital -the chief referral medical centres in Muzaffarpur with sudden neurological illness. Of them, 122 (31%) died.

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The Times of India, 1 February, 2017, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/litchi-behind-mystery-deaths-in-bihar-us-india-study/articleshow/56902854.cms


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