Lychee fruit caused deaths of malnourished children in India

Investigation of deaths in Bihar state indicates children with low blood sugar are vulnerable because toxins in lychee interfere with food metabolism

Researchers confirmed that a toxic chemical in the fruit of the Asian lychee tree is responsible for outbreaks of a fatal brain sickness in children in India's Bihar state, where the fruit is commercially grown.

Methylene cyclopropyl-glycine (MCPG) was detected in lychee fruit by a team of virologists led by T Jacob John at the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, in India. The findings were published in Current Science in December.

The chemical is akin to another toxin found in ackee, a West Indian fruit. Both lychee and ackee come from the soapberry family of plants.

MCPG is known to cause hypoglycemic encephalopathy, a metabolic illness that affects the brain when body sugar levels are low due to fasting or undernourishment. Earlier, viral encephalitis was suspected to be causing the deaths. "When no virus was detected, researchers suspected a toxin from pesticides or from the fruit itself," said John.

In 2013, at the request of India's ministry of health and family welfare, John camped in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, where many of the deaths had occurred. "Children there were found having low blood sugar levels which aided metabolic diseases," John said.