Severe Neurological Manifestation from Jatropha curcas (Mbono Kaburi) Poisoning in 5 Years Old: A Case Report

Background: Jatropha curcas belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family and is found in the coastal areas of tropics. The leaves, fruits and seeds of the plant are used for various ailments. Not only there are few reported cases of its poisoning in the paediatric age group but also rarely reported to cause neurological manifestation even in adult population. We present a case of a 5 years old that presented with severe acute neurological manifestation soon after ingestion of the seeds of Jatropha curcas. The patient was managed symptomatic and supportive with complete recovery in 48 hrs. Case Presentation: 5 years old male child was referred to our hospital 7 hrs after taking Jatropha curcas fruit. He presented with history of loss of consciousness for 2 hours and 3 episodes of convulsions. On examination had Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of 8/15, and pinpointed pupils, with no obvious neurological deficit. We managed him conservatively, with active seizure control, IV fluid, and precautious IV Ceftriaxone due to clinical mimicry of meningitis. The patient completely recovered and was discharged on the third day. Conclusion: Jatropha curcas poisoning is less reported in our region and our country. Based on our case report, it does not only present with gastrointestinal manifestation but also neurological manifestation which may be confusing in low resource setting where the diagnostics may not be available or affordable to rule out other intracranial manifestations due to low social economic status. This is the first case report in our setup and country with neurological manifestation.