MAD HONEY POISONING IN MAN AND RAT

Grayanotoxins are known to occur in the honey produced from the nectar of Rhododendron ponticum growing on the mountains of the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. Two cases of honey intoxication are presented here. Both patients experienced severe bradycardia and hypotension following ingestion of honey which was brought from Trabzon, Turkey. Microscopical examination of the honey demonstrated Rhododendron ponticum tetrades. Anesthetized albino rats were injected intrapcritoneally with toxic honey extracts in amounts equivalent to 1 or 5 g ho- ney/kg b.w. Dose-dependent hypotension, bradycardia and respiratory rate depression were observed. Key words: Grayanatoxins, Rhododendron ponticum, intoxication