CASE REPORT article
Front. Med.
Sec. Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesiology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1589190
This article is part of the Research TopicUnraveling the Health Impacts of Toxic ExposuresView all 8 articles
First Reported Case of Pascalia glauca Poisoning in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report
Provisionally accepted
Andrea Milena Rodríguez-Guerrero1Tania Galán2Marjorie Rodríguez-Guerrero2César Patiño-Rocha2
Jorge Vasconez-Gonzalez3*
Esteban Ortiz-Prado3*- 1Atacames Health Center, Esmeraldas, Ecuador
- 2Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso, Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
- 3University of the Americas, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
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Background Pascalia glauca is a toxic plant species predominant in South America, known to cause severe liver and kidney damage, and even death, in animal studies. Its toxicity is attributed to carboxyatractyloside, a compound that inhibits the transport of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) into the mitochondria, leading to cellular dysfunction. To date, no cases of human poisoning have been reported. Case Report We present the case of a 6-year-old male who developed tonic-clonic seizures, altered consciousness, vomiting, and a Glasgow Coma Scale score below 8 after ingesting Pascalia glauca. A cranial CT scan revealed small intraparenchymal petechial hemorrhages in the biparietal and frontal regions. The patient was started on anticonvulsant and neuroprotective treatment with levetiracetam. Laboratory findings showed markedly elevated transaminases and coagulopathy, which did not improve with vitamin K administration, leading to a diagnosis of acute liver failure. The patient was treated with rifaximin, N-acetylcysteine, and lactulose, showing progressive improvement in liver function. After This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article 27 days in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU), he was transferred to the general ward hemodynamically stable but with persistent neurological impairment, unable to speak or respond to stimuli. Conclusion This first reported case of human poisoning by Pascalia glauca highlights the plant's potential neurotoxic and hepatotoxic effects in humans. The absence of prior human cases poses challenges in management and prognosis, emphasizing the need for increased awareness among healthcare professionals and further research on its toxicological impact.
Keywords: Pascalia glauca1, Wedelia glauca2, carboxyatractyloside3, plant toxicity4, Neurotoxicity5, hepatotoxicity6, acute liver failure7, pediatric poisoning8
Received: 07 Mar 2025; Accepted: 30 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rodríguez-Guerrero, Galán, Rodríguez-Guerrero, Patiño-Rocha, Vasconez-Gonzalez and Ortiz-Prado. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jorge Vasconez-Gonzalez, University of the Americas, Quito, 170137, Pichincha, Ecuador
Esteban Ortiz-Prado, University of the Americas, Quito, 170137, Pichincha, Ecuador
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