NEW DELHI, INDIA-The king cobra, one of the world's most dangerous snakes, can actually "stand up" and stare a full-grown individual directly in the eye. When confronted, they may raise a third of their bodies off the ground and continue to strike, as stated by National Geographic.
But what is more poisonous than its venom? A plant. Rosary peas, specifically known as Abrus precatorius, are among the world's most toxic plants.
A 5-year-old child died after ingesting the seed of the highly deadly rosary pea plant. The youngster died 24 hours after his ingestion, while his 7-year-old sibling was rescued after being brought to a facility in New Delhi after being in severe condition after ingesting seeds from the same plant.
Although the plant is native to India, including portions of tropical Asia, it can be found in Florida and Hawaii and is frequently employed as a decorative plant by gardeners. In India, this plant is commonly referred to as Ratti or Gunchi.
Lethal than the Venom
Its poison, abrin, is considered one of the deadliest toxic poisons known to man. It is 30 times more dangerous than ricin, a toxin produced from castor beans that became known owing to the smash cable-TV show Breaking Bad. Ingesting a small, well-chewed rosary pea grain is sufficient to kill an individual while no proven antidote exists.
Abrin is as lethal as the toxin of a number of the world's most dangerous snakes. With a deadly amount between 0.01 to 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, this can kill faster than a king cobra bite, which has a deadly dose of about 0.9 mg per kilogram.
Abrin blocks the body's cells from producing the proteins required to function, resulting in cell death. Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, symptoms of ingesting a deadly amount may also include nausea, bloody diarrhea, hallucinations, convulsions, and organ failure. These were a few signs that the young brothers in India showed.
Dr. Dhiren Gupta, a top specialist at New Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, described the elder boy in a statement. The youngster was unresponsive and agitated, with encephalopathy (brain enlargement) and unstable vitals (high pulse rate with shock).
Lack of Knowledge of the Poison
Despite the lack of a known antidote, Gupta believes that emergency medical intervention can help lessen the poison's effects. Medication to manage seizures, low blood pressure, supported breathing, and intravenous injections may be part of this treatment.
The remaining youngster has been released from the hospital and is in good health. Poison Control said that most human abrin exposures are caused by ingesting A. precatorius beans. There is little information available on A. precatorius.
They are scarlet-red seeds with a black mark on them. Other less frequent variations include white seeds with black eyes and black seeds with white eyes.
In the United States, this plant is classified as an invasive species. The seeds derived from A. Precatorius are frequently used in decorative bangles and jewelry, including children's toys manufactured outside the United States.
Because these beans must be consumed to produce poisoning, any number is regarded as potentially harmful. Symptoms usually appear a few minutes after intake but can last up to five days. Abrin poisoning has no antidote, and hospitalization is frequently needed to treat the symptoms.
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