1043-3155 Pediatr Neurol Briefs pedneurbriefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs Pediatric Neurology Briefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs 2166-6482 1043-3155 2166-3155 Pediatric Neurology Briefs Publishers Chicago, IL, USA PNB-8-62-a 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-8-8-8 Toxic Disorders Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant Diazinon Exposure and Infantile Hypertonia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-7931 Millichap J. Gordon MD 1 2 * Division of Neurology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL Correspondence: Dr. J. Gordon Millichap, E-mail: jgmillichap@northwestern.edu 08 1994 01 06 2016 8 8 62 62 Copyright: © 1994 The Author(s) 1994 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Chronic organophosphate exposure associated with transient hypertonia in an infant

A 12-week-old infant girl who developed persistent hypertonicity 5 weeks following exposure to the organophosphate insecticide diazinon (Knox-Out 2FM) in the home is reported from Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.

 Diazinon Serum Cholinesterase Nicotinic Symptoms

A 12-week-old infant girl who developed persistent hypertonicity 5 weeks following exposure to the organophosphate insecticide diazinon (Knox-Out 2FM) in the home is reported from Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. The infant’s urine contained alkylphosphate metabolites of diazinon (60 ppb diethylphosphate and 20 ppb diethylthiophosphate). Serum cholinesterase was normal. Diazinon levels in the home (floor, vacuum cleaner dust, and air) were excessive even at 6 months after application. Six weeks after evacuating the home, the infant’s muscle tone returned to normal, ankle clonus had resolved, and subsequent development was normal. [1]

COMMENT. None of the typical muscarinic or nicotinic symptoms of organophosphate intoxication was present in this infant. Organophosphates can cause a delayed neurobehavioral toxicity, characterized by neuritis, paralysis, and psychological changes, the result of degeneration of myelin and nerve axons and effects on neurotransmitters. A relationship between Parkinson’s disease and exposure to pesticide chemicals has been demonstrated in agricultural workers. Children presenting with unexplained neurobehavioral symptoms should be investigated for possible exposure to insecticide environmental toxins.

 Wagner SL Orwick DL Chronic organophosphate exposure associated with transient hypertonia in an infant Pediatrics 1994 Jul 94 1 94 97 8008546