Ptomaine poisoning is an obsolete term for food poisoning. primarily from the 19th and early 20th century. Today we have better tools for determining the precise cause for food poisoning.
Features:
(1) acute gastrointestinal symptoms
(2) preceded by ingestion of meat or vegetables that have spoiled
Proposed mechanism: toxic alkaloids or amines ("ptomaines") released during food spoilage caused by "putrefactive bacteria". These included putrescine and cadaverine.
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