Jamaican vomiting sickness
| Jamaican vomiting sickness | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Toxicology |
Jamaican vomiting sickness, also known as toxic hypoglycemic syndrome (THS), acute ackee fruit intoxication, or ackee poisoning, is an acute illness caused by the toxins hypoglycin A and hypoglycin B, which are present in fruit of the ackee tree. Unripe arils contain concentrations of hypoglycin A that are 20-fold higher than those of ripe arils, and can cause vomiting and even death. Some countries in the Caribbean and Western Africa experience frequent cases.