Epidemiological data showed increasing incidence rates of gastrointestinal (GI) mushroom syndrome in Thailand. This study therefore, aimed to identify suspected GI toxin-containing mushrooms using DNA sequence analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the large subunit (LSU) of nuclear ribosomal DNA. GI toxins were also identified using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCases of mushroom poisoning in Thailand have increased annually. During 2008 to 2014, the cases reported to the National Institute of Health included 57 deaths; at least 15 died after ingestion of amanitas, the most common lethal wild mushrooms inhabited. Hence, the aims of this study were to identify mushroom samples from nine clinically reported cases during the 7-year study period based on nuclear ITS sequence data and diagnose lethal peptide toxins using a reversed phase LC-MS method.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWHO South East Asia J Public Health
January 2015
Background: Industrial activity in Thailand's coastal areas has significantly increased mercury concentrations in seawater, causing accumulation through the food chain. Continuous exposure to mercury has been linked to bioaccumulation in living organisms and potential adverse health effects in children.
Methods: Blood samples were collected from 873 schoolchildren aged 6-13 years living in four sites near the eastern seaboard industrial estates of the Gulf of Thailand in 2011.