| extracellular toxin | <protein> Toxin released from gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as opposed to endotoxins that form part of the cell wall. Examples are cholera, pertussis and diphtheria toxins. Usually specific and highly toxic. (18 Nov 1997) |
|---|---|
| ackee poisoning | An acute and frequently fatal vomiting disease associated with central nervous system symptoms and marked hypoglycaemia, caused by eating unripe ackee fruit of Blighia spaida, a tree common in Jamaica. Synonym: Jamaican vomiting sickness. (05 Mar 2000) |
| arsenic poisoning | A severe poisoning that occurs after the exposure (ingested or inhaled). Signs and symptoms include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, rapid heart rate, apprehension and difficulty breathing. (27 Sep 1997) |
| bacterial food poisoning | A term commonly used to refer to conditions limited to enteritis or gastroenteritis (excluding the enteric fevers and the dysenteries) caused by bacterial multiplication per se or by a soluble bacterial exotoxin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| blister beetle poisoning | Poisoning, most often of horses, by ingestion of blister beetles (Epicauta spp.) in hay; the causative toxin is cantharidin, which produces salivation, shock, pollakiuria, and colic. (05 Mar 2000) |
| blood poisoning | See: septicaemia, pyaemia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bracken poisoning | A disease of cattle caused by long-term, low-level consumption of the bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) and characterised by haemorrhages or tumours in the bladder. Synonym: bracken poisoning. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cadmium poisoning | Poisoning occurring after exposure to cadmium compounds or fumes. It may cause gastrointestinal syndromes, anaemia, or pneumonitis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| carbon disulfide poisoning | Acute or chronic intoxication by CS2, an industrial condition encountered among rubber workers and makers of artificial silk (rayon) by the viscose process; characterised by insomnia, listlessness, and irritability, followed by paralyses, impaired vision, peptic ulcer, and psychoses. (05 Mar 2000) |
| carbon monoxide poisoning | Toxic asphyxiation due to the displacement of oxygen from oxyhemoglobin by carbon monoxide. (12 Dec 1998) |
| radiation poisoning | A systemic condition caused by substantial whole-body irradiation, seen after nuclear explosions or accidents, rarely after radiotherapy. Manifestations depend on dose, ranging from anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and mild leukopenia, to thrombocytopenia with haemorrhage, severe leukopenia with infection, anaemia, central nervous system damage, and death. Synonym: radiation poisoning. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mercury poisoning | A disease usually caused by the ingestion of mercury or mercury compounds, which are toxic in relation to their ability to produce mercuric ions; usually acute mercury poisoning is associated with ulcerations of the stomach and intestine and toxic changes in the renal tubules; anuria and anaemia may occur; usually chronic mercury poisoning is a result of industrial poisoning and causes gastrointestinal or central nervous system manifestations including stomatitis, diarrhoea, ataxia, tremor, hyperreflexia, sensorineural impairment, and emotional instability (Mad Hatter syndrome). Synonym: hydrargyria, hydrargyrism, mercurialism. (05 Mar 2000) |
| chocolate poisoning | Poisoning, most commonly of dogs, by ingestion of excessive quantities of chocolate (especially unsweetened baker's chocolate); the causative toxin is theobromine which produces thirst, vomiting, diarrhoea, urinary incontinence, chronic muscle spasms, seizures, and coma. (05 Mar 2000) |
| methanol poisoning | Poisoning by ingestion of methanol or wood alcohol. This ingestion leads to a severe metabolic acidosis and can also cause blindness. Liver and kidney damage can result. (27 Sep 1997) |
| clay pigeon poisoning | A highly fatal disease of swine, usually caused by the ingestion of fragments of the clay pigeons used as targets by shooting clubs; some cases have been caused by consumption of other bituminous substances, such as road tar and tar paper. Synonym: clay pigeon poisoning. (05 Mar 2000) |