Citation

Tomita M, Suzuki K, Shimosato K, Kohama A, Ijiri I. Forensic Sci. Int. 1988; 37(1): 11-18.

Affiliation

Department of Legal Medicine, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1988, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

3350456

Abstract

To investigate the efficacy of medical treatments, plasma-paraquat levels were measured in patients who had ingested the liquid weedkiller, Gramoxon, containing paraquat. We determined the levels by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a murine paraquat-specific monoclonal antibody developed by Niewola et al. (Clin. Chim. Acta, 148 (1985) 149-156). Using this ELISA, concentrations of paraquat in the range 1.56-100 ng/ml could be measured. This assay method had good precision and was suitable for measurement of low levels of paraquat. The therapeutic treatments were most effective on the day of admission. The plasma-paraquat levels of poisoned patients decreased significantly. However, the levels tended to increase again during the pause period of the haemoperfusion and this increase was serious for fatal cases. It is clear that elimination of poison not only from blood but also from tissues is necessary to lower the mortality rate.

Language: en