Citation

Albers A, Gies U, Raatschen HJ, Klintschar M. Forensic Sci. Med. Pathol. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. Klintschar.michael@mh-hannover.de.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12024-020-00247-y

PMID

32323188

Abstract

We report a rare case of fatal intoxication in a 40-year-old man caused by injection of a fluid containing organic mercury, allegedly in an attack with a syringe fixed to the tip of an umbrella. The man suffered from severe neurological symptoms and progressive multiorgan failure and died 10 months later in refractory status epilepticus. Autopsy revealed severe brain atrophy and non-specific kidney damage. Neuropathological examination showed neuronal loss especially in the occipital lobe, distinct granule cell necrosis in the cerebellum and Wallerian degeneration in the brainstem. Postmortem toxicological analysis revealed extremely increased levels of mercury in liver and kidney tissue as well as methylmercury levels in peripheral blood.

Language: en

Keywords

Methylmercury; Minamata disease; Neuropathological alterations; Umbrella murder