Tetramethylenedisulfotetramine: old agent and new terror

Abstract

Tetramethylenedisulfotetramine has accounted for numerous intentional and unintentional poisonings in China. In May 2002, the first known case of human illness in the United States caused by tetramethylenedisulfotetramine, a banned neurotoxic rodenticide from China, occurred in New York City. The clinical presentation after tetramethylenedisulfotetramine exposure is dose dependent, and the most recognized complication is status epilepticus. Poisonings may be fatal within hours. No known antidote exists, and treatment is mainly supportive. Anecdotal reports, case reports, and 2 animal studies suggest possible success with certain pharmacologic interventions, including pyridoxine and chelation therapy. Pesticide and rodenticide poisonings, whether intentional or unintentional, pose a serious threat to populations, and the availability of a banned rodenticide such as tetramethylenedisulfotetramine, with its associated morbidity and lethality, is a serious public health concern. Given the recent case report that confirms the presence of tetramethylenedisulfotetramine in the United States, the toxicity of the compound, its unique physical properties, the absence of an antidote, and the history of its use as an agent of intentional mass poisoning, public health entities have undertaken educational efforts to inform the public, health care providers, and emergency personnel of this potentially lethal rodenticide.