The determination of hypoglycin-A in blood and plasma

Hypoglycin-A, the causative agent of vomiting sickness, was added to samples of human blood plasma and whole haemolysed blood and the quantitative recovery of the compound by means of comparison of the amino acid profiles before and after bromination of the samples was investigated. The method was found to be suitable for the estimation of the compound in blood or plasma down to a level of about 1 æmole/100ml. Analyses of blood samples from cases of suspected ackee poisoning, using the method reported, proved negative. The implications of this are discussed (AU)