Clinical and pharmacological profile in a clenbuterol epidemic poisoning of contaminated beef meat in Italy

Long-acting beta adrenergic agonists, such as clenbuterol accumulate in the liver, but not meat of treated farm animals, and result in epidemic poison ings in consumers. We describe an outbreak of poisoning in 15 people follow ing the consumption of meat. Clinical symptoms (distal tremors, palpitation s, headache, tachipnoea-dyspnoea, and also moderate hyperglycaemia, hypokal emia and leucocytosis) were seen in nine hospitalised patients, starting ab out 0.5-3 h after poisoning, and disappearing within 3-5 days later. Clenbu terol was found in the urine of all the symptomatic patients, at higher lev els than pharmacokinetic computing (mean level 28 ng/ml, 36 h after ingesti on), based on the levels found in the meat (1140-1480 ng/g edible tissue). Thus, epidemic poisoning can be produced following the consumption of conta minated meat. The need for a better definition of pharmaco- and toxico-kine tics, not only for drugs ingested as parent drug, but also when ingested as residues with animal tissues, is recommended. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ir eland Ltd. All rights reserved.