Historical QOD 1/6/09: A recent epidemic of melamine poisoning arose from tainted infant formula in China. This epidemic affected nearly 300,00 children in China with more than 50,000 hospitalized and a number of deaths. What was the basis of the pathology involved in these melamine affected children?
Melamine, at high doses, may induce the formation of genitourinary stones with subsequent development of renal failure. Melamine stones are not completely radiopaque and are usually formed by melaine and its metabolite cyanuric acid combined with uric acid or in a protein matrix with uric acid, protein, and phosphate.
Ingelfinger JR. Melamine and the global implications of food contamination. N Engl J Med. 2008 Dec 25;359(26):2745-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp0808410. PMID: 19109571.
Contributed by: M Greenberg