Definition

1. Noun:
   • A term for food poisoning that is no longer in scientific use: "Ptomaine" was historically used to refer to a type of food poisoning once thought to be caused by ingesting ptomaines, which are certain nitrogenous compounds.
   • Any of various amines formed by putrefactive bacteria: In chemistry and biology, a "ptomaine" is any of several toxic amines, such as putrescine or cadaverine, produced during the decomposition of animal or plant protein by bacteria.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The old medical text attributed the patient's illness to ptomaine poisoning from spoiled meat.
  • Putrescine and cadaverine are two well-known ptomaines produced during decay.

Advanced Usage

• "Ptomaine poisoning": An outdated, non-scientific term for foodborne illness.
  • Before modern microbiology, many cases of gastroenteritis were misdiagnosed as ptomaine poisoning.

Variants and Related Words

• Ptomaine is also spelled ptomain.
• Ptomainic (adj): Relating to or derived from a ptomaine.

Synonyms

• Biogenic amine (in a broader, more modern scientific context).
• Putrefaction amine.

Notes on Meaning

• The term "ptomaine" is largely archaic in medical and scientific contexts. Modern science identifies bacterial toxins (like those from or ), not ptomaines themselves, as the primary cause of most food poisoning. The compounds classified as ptomaines are indeed produced during decomposition but are not typically the main causative agents of illness.

Noun

1. a term for food poisoning that is no longer in scientific use; food poisoning was once thought to be caused by ingesting ptomaines
2. any of various amines (such as putrescine or cadaverine) formed by the action of putrefactive bacteria