Jamaican vomiting sickness

Jamaican vomiting sickness
SpecialtyToxicology

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.