Search

Chronic phalaris toxicity (CPT) is a neurological disease caused by animals ingesting toxins produced by early growth stages of Phalaris aquatica, a pasture plant introduced to the southeastern regions of Australia post colonization. Little is known about the clinical progression of CPT in wildlife, as incidents are sporadic and predominantly reported when animals are in the end stages of disease and in a poor welfare state. We studied a cohort of 35 eastern gray kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) affected by CPT to clarify clinical prognosis and survival rates. Kangaroos were captured in May, June, and July of 2022 at Plenty Gorge Parklands, Victoria, Australia. Each animal was radiotracked for 180 d, clinical progression and disease outcomes monitored twice a week. By the conclusion of the study, 24 animals had died (19 by euthanasia due to deterioration, five found dead). Ten animals survived, with two demonstrating a reduction in clinical signs and eight showing full resolution of clinical signs. One animal was disqualified from the study. The overall survival rate was 29.4% (95% confidence interval 17.5-49.5%). The survival duration of animals that died ranged from 5 to 133 d. There was no difference in survival rate based on sex (P=0.2), age class (P=0.49) or the month of capture (P=0.49). These results suggest that CPT is an important health and welfare concern for at-risk macropod populations, with high case-fatality rates and prolonged clinical durations. Further research to manage the disease via methods such as reducing Phalaris aquatica plant coverage and preventative treatments for animals is warranted to reduce disease incidences and improve disease outcomes in wildlife populations., (© Wildlife Disease Association 2024.)

We determined the prevalence of diseases and pathogens associated with mortality in beef cattle in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, based on pathology laboratory submissions. Postmortem examinations were conducted on 1,277 beef cattle that died between 2008 and 2018. Information regarding age, time of the year, breed, and regional location were analyzed statistically. Most cattle were from the surrounding region of Porto Alegre, and 78.7% of the analyzed cases had diagnostic value. The diagnostic category with most cases was infectious and/or parasitic diseases (60%), followed by toxic and toxicoinfectious (25%). Most cases occurred in the fall. Major disease conditions identified included hemoprotozoal infection (18.2%), rabies (8.2%), and plant intoxications by Senecio spp. (8.5%) and Pteridium arachnoideum (4.6%). Hemoprotozoal infection occurred at a higher frequency in young cattle, mainly in animals up to 1 y old. Intoxication by Senecio spp. was more frequent in cattle 2-3 y old.

Oleander (Nerium oleander) is an ornamental plant common in tropical and sub-tropical regions that is becoming increasingly widespread, even in temperate regions. Oleander poisoning may occur in animals and humans. The main active components contained in the plant are cardiac glycosides belonging to the class of cardenolides that are toxic to many species, from human to insects. This work describes a case of oleander poisoning that occurred on a small cattle farm and resulted in the fatality of all six resident animals. Furthermore, the investigation of the poisonous agent is described, with particular focus on the characterization of the oleandrin toxin that was recovered from the forage and rumen contents. The innovation of this study is the first description of the detection and quantification of the oleandrin toxin by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) in rumen., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: Many reports showed that grass-endophyte symbiosis induced livestock poisoned. Yet, there is no study evaluating clinical symptoms and physiological parameters in sheep fed Epichloë gansuensis endophyte-infected grass. The objective of the present study was to investigate these indexes by feeding sheep with endophyte-infected A. inebrians (E+ Group) or endophyte-free A. inebrians (E- Group) drunken horse grass or alfalfa hay (Control Group)., Results: The Epichloë endophyte caused obvious toxicity symptoms in the sheep fed E+ A. inebrians, with 1 of the 5 sheep having died by the 35th day. The feed intake and body weight gain of the E+ Group were significantly less than the E- and control groups (P < 0.05). Serum concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT, 45.5 mmol/L) and aspartate aminotransferase for the E+ group (AST, 139.3 mmol/L) were significantly (P < 0.05) greater than for the E- (ALT, 31.2 mmol/L; AST, 78.6 mmol/L) and control (ALT, 32.6 mmol/L; AST, 56.6 mmol/L) groups at the fifth week; serum concentration of creatinine for the E+ group (63.8 mmol/L) was also significantly (P < 0.05) greater than for E- (56.6 mmol/L) and control groups (58.5 mmol/L). Meanwhile, urine biochemical indices for the E+ group indicated that ketone and occult blood were significantly (P < 0.05) elevated compared to the other groups while urine pH values were significantly (P < 0.05) acidic. The relative weight of heart, brain, liver, lung and kidney for Group E+ were almost two fold more than the other groups, but uterus weight was about half that found for Group E- or Control., Conclusions: We conclude that the Epichloë endophyte infection is the cause of A. inebrians toxicity to sheep. Interestingly, none of the measured parameters differed significantly between E- and the control groups, which implied that drunken horse grass could be utilized efficiently by sheep when not infected by the Epichloë endophyte.

In Morocco, acute Atractylis gummifera L. poisoning represents the leading cause of death by plant poisoning especially for children. All cases received in the Moroccan poison control centre from January 1981 to December 2009 (n = 467) were included in a retrospective study of the characteristics and risk factors of A. gummifera L. poisoning. The most vulnerable age group was children (63.4% of cases). Most cases were due to accidental exposure (75.5%), but some were from therapeutic use (18.1%) or attempted abortion (7.4%). Patients presented with moderate poison severity signs (grade 2) in 22.3% of cases or severe signs (grade 3) in 21.0%. The mortality rate was 39.2%. The majority of deaths (81.1%) occurred in children aged < 15 years following accidental exposure. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that risk factors for mortality were coma (OR = 20.5); hepatitis (OR = 52.7) and rural residence (OR = 7.26), while gastric decontamination was a protector factor (OR = 0.26).

A group of 342 beef calves, corralled in the Patagonia region of Argentina, were fed alfalfa hay that had been inadvertently contaminated with Wedelia glauca. A total of 147 (43%) calves died within 4 days. Pathologic findings in 2 calves were diffuse centrilobular hepatic necrosis and hemorrhage with edema in the gallbladder, common bile duct, and choledochoduodenal junction. Epidermal fragments of W. glauca were identified in rumen contents by microscopy. Intact W. glauca plants and leaf fragments were found in the hay. Patches of defoliated W. glauca were also identified in the alfalfa pasture from which the hay had been baled.

Objective: To determine clinical, laboratory analysis, and necropsy findings for equids with oleander toxicosis and to identify factors associated with outcome., Design: Retrospective case series., Animals: 30 equids., Procedures: Medical records of equids with detectable concentrations of oleandrin in serum, plasma, urine, or gastrointestinal fluid samples and equids that had not received cardiac glycoside drugs but had detectable concentrations of digoxin in serum were identified via a medical records database search. Descriptive statistics were calculated for medical history, physical examination, laboratory analysis, and necropsy variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify physical examination and laboratory analysis factors significantly associated with outcome., Results: 3 of 30 (10.0%) equids died before or immediately after arrival at the hospital. Of the other 27 equids, 23 (85.2%) had gastrointestinal tract abnormalities, azotemia was detected for 19 (70.4%), and a cardiac arrhythmia was ausculted for 18 (66.7%). Mortality rate for all equids was 50.0%; mortality rate for hospitalized equids was 44.4%. The most common cause of death was cardiac dysfunction. Odds of survival to discharge from the hospital were lower for equids with cardiac arrhythmias versus those without arrhythmias and decreased with increasing Hct and serum glucose concentrations. Odds of survival increased with increasing serum chloride concentration and duration of hospitalization., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Equids with oleander toxicosis frequently had simultaneous gastrointestinal tract, cardiac, and renal problems. Oleander intoxication should be a differential diagnosis for equids with colic in geographic areas where oleander is found, especially when azotemia or cardiac arrhythmias are detected concurrently.

The current study describes a naturally occurring cluster of cases of Wedelia glauca intoxication. Seven of 14 axis deer (Axis axis) and 1 of 8 llamas (Lama glama) in a zoo of Buenos Aires province, Argentina, died suddenly after ingestion of a new batch of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) hay bales contaminated with the hepatotoxic plant W. glauca. Necropsies of 1 deer and 1 llama were performed. Pathological findings in both animals included severe diffuse acute centrilobular hepatocellular necrosis and hemorrhage, and clear yellowish translucent gelatinous edema on the wall of the gall bladder and the serosa of the choledochoduodenal junction. Fragments of W. glauca plants were identified in the hay based on the botanical characteristics of the leaves. Samples of gastric contents were examined by microhistological analysis, which identified epidermal fragments of W. glauca based on the presence of characteristic uniseriate glandular hairs (trichomes), confirming recent ingestion of W. glauca in both cases. The fragments were quantified and represented 5% of all examined vegetal fragments in the deer and 10% in the llama.

Ricin is regarded as a high terrorist risk for the public due to its high toxicity and ease of production. Currently, there is no therapeutic or vaccine available against ricin. D9, a murine monoclonal antibody developed previously in our laboratory, can strongly neutralize ricin and is therefore a good candidate for humanization. Humanization of D9 variable regions was achieved by a complementarity-determining region grafting approach. The humanized D9 (hD9) variable regions were further grafted onto human heavy and light chain constant regions to assemble the complete antibody gene. A foot-and-mouth-disease virus-derived 2A self-processing sequence was introduced between heavy and light chain DNA sequences to cleave the recombinant protein into a functional full-length antibody molecule from a single open reading frame driven by a single promoter in an adenoviral vector. After expression in mammalian cells and purification, the hD9 was demonstrated to have equimolar expression of the full-length antibody heavy and light chains. More importantly, the hD9 exhibited high affinity to ricin with K(D) of 1.63 nM, comparable to its parental murine D9 (2.55 nM). In a mouse model, intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of hD9, at a low dose of 5 µg per mouse, 4 hours after the i.p. challenge with 5×LD50 ricin was found to rescue 100% of the mice. In addition, administered 6 hours post-challenge, hD9 could still rescue 50% of the mice. The hD9 has the potential to be used for prophylactic or therapeutic purposes against ricin poisoning.

This paper presents seven fatal cases of aconite poisoning encountered in the Tongji Center for Medicolegal Expertise in Hubei (TCMEH), China, from 1999 to 2008 retrospectively. In six of the cases, deaths occurred after drinking homemade medicated liquor containing aconite, and in one case death was due to ingestion of traditional Chinese medication containing aconite. Forensic autopsy and pathological examinations ruled out the presence of physical trauma or life-threatening diseases. Diagnosis of aconite poisoning was made after postmortem toxicological analysis. Animal experiment was performed in one case demonstrating that the medicated liquor could cause death rapidly. We present the autopsy and histopathological findings, toxicological analysis, and results of animal experiment done on samples from those seven cases. As an important herbal Chinese medicine, Aconitum species deserve special attention, especially because it contains poisonous alkaloids., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In the Amazon region of northern Brazil, Panicum maximum cultivars Mombaça, Tanzânia, and Massai cause severe colic and death in horses and mules. The disease occurs in the rainy season, when sprouting pastures are grazed by equidae. In the 8 separate disease outbreaks studied, a total of 52 out of 153 equidae were affected, including 19 that died (10 mules and 9 horses). Clinical signs were colic and abdominal dilatation, with a clinical manifestation period of 12 hr to 4 days. Serum activities of gamma-glutamyl transferase and aspartate aminotransferase were within reference intervals; however, serum urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations were occasionally elevated. The primary gross and histologic lesions were observed in the digestive system. The stomach, small intestine, and large intestine had severe hemorrhages and occasional mucosal erosions and ulcerations. Ulceration and hemorrhage of the urinary bladder were rarely observed. Histologic examination revealed diffuse lymphoplasmacytic gastritis and enteritis with severe congestion, hemorrhage, and occasional epithelial necrosis and ulceration. Lymphocellular necrosis was occasionally observed within gut-associated lymphoid tissue. Tubular nephrosis occurred in some animals. Degeneration and occasional necrosis of bile duct epithelial cells and degeneration of hepatocytes were observed in the liver. Toxic pastures were negative for diosgenin- and yamogenin-based saponins, and oxalate concentrations were within reference intervals for the species. The toxin or toxins causing disease and the reason for the toxicity of the plant in the northern region are unknown.

Objective: To characterize the clinical and clinicopathologic effects and evaluate outcome associated with oleander toxicosis in New World camelids., Design: Retrospective case series., Animals: 11 llamas and 1 alpaca., Procedures: Medical records from a veterinary medical teaching hospital from January 1, 1995, to December 31, 2006, were reviewed. Records of all New World camelids that had detectable amounts of oleandrin in samples of serum, urine, or gastrointestinal fluid were included in the study. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the history, physical examination findings, clinicopathologic data, and outcome of affected camelids., Results: 11 llamas and 1 alpaca met the inclusion criteria of the study. Either oleander plants were present where the camelids resided (n = 7) or oleander plant material was identified in the hay fed to the camelids (5). One llama was dead on arrival at the hospital, and another was euthanized upon admission because of financial concerns. Of the 10 treated camelids, 9 had evidence of acute renal failure, 7 had gastrointestinal signs, and 4 had cardiac dysrhythmias on initial evaluation. The overall mortality rate was 25%, but the mortality rate for the 10 camelids that were medically treated was 10%., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: In New World camelids, oleander intoxication was associated with a triad of clinical effects (ie, renal, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular dysfunction). Oleander intoxication often represented a herd problem but carried a fair to good prognosis if treated promptly. Oleander toxicosis should be considered a differential diagnosis in sick camelids.

During February-April 2004, an estimated 400-500 free-ranging elk (Cervus elaphus) developed paresis, became recumbent, and died or were euthanized in the Red Rim Wildlife Habitat Management Area (RRWHMA), Wyoming, USA. Elk were found in sternal recumbency, alert and responsive, but unable to rise. Their condition progressed to lateral recumbency followed by dehydration, obtundation, and death. Gross lesions were limited to degenerative myopathy, with pallor and streaking in skeletal muscles. Microscopically, affected muscles had degenerative lesions of varying duration, severity, and distribution, some with early mineralization and attempts at regeneration. Diagnostic testing ruled out common infectious, inflammatory, toxic, and traumatic causes. Tumbleweed shield lichen (Xanthoparmelia chlorochroa) was found in the area and in the rumen of several elk. This lichen was collected and fed to three captive elk. Two of these elk exhibited signs of ataxia, which rapidly progressed to weakness and recumbency after 7 and 10 days on this diet, respectively, and a degenerative myopathy, consistent with lesions observed in the elk affected at RRWHMA, was observed. All remaining elk migrated from the RRWHMA during the spring and no subsequent losses have been documented.

Prunus serotina Ehrh. (black cherry) intoxication was diagnosed on postmortem examination of a goat. The clinical signs were weakness, depression, seizure-like activity, and lateral recumbency. Natural cases of black cherry intoxication have not been reported in goats in the United States. In the absence of a history of access to black cherry or the ability to detect cyanide or cyanogenic glycosides in blood or tissues, black cherry intoxication may be diagnosed in ruminants by the identification of black cherry leaves in rumen contents. Three distinctive features facilitate identification of black cherry leaves or leaf fragments: 1) a pair of small glands that protrude from the sides of the petiole just below the base of the blade, 2) incurved, gland-tipped (callous) teeth along the margins of the leaf, and 3) a band of hairs to each side of the lower half of the midvein on the surface of the leaf. Shape of the marginal teeth, presence or absence of glands at the tips of these teeth, the morphology of these glands, and presence or absence of petiolar glands and their morphology may allow identification and differentiation of small fragments of leaves from the 6 most important cyanogenic Prunus spp. in eastern North America: black cherry, Carolina laurel cherry, peach, English laurel cherry, choke cherry, and fire cherry.

The ingestion of unripe ackee fruit (Blighia sapida) is responsible for lethal epidemic encephalopathy in West Africa and the Caribbean. The treatment of ackee poisoning remains empirical and lethality was 100% in a recent epidemic in Burkina Faso. Because ackee poisoning has certain biochemical similarities to ifosfamide encephalopathy, we evaluated the efficacy of methylene blue (MB) and glucose (G), alone and in combination (MB+G) in mice, as a treatment for ackee poisoning. MB administration showed some efficacy towards early mortality (P=0.07) but not to late mortality. No deaths were observed when 8 mg/kg MB was administrated within 1h of the ackee poisoning. The treatment was ineffective if given 6h or later after poisoning. Survival in G and G+MB groups was higher than in MB group (75% and 25% respectively) (P=0.008, R=2.0, 1.14

A report is given of the 1st confirmed outbreak of Albizia versicolor poisoning in Malawi and the 1st natural outbreak reported in sheep and goats. Approximately 800 animals are estimated to have died over a 9-year period on a government farm near Lake Malawi. Deaths occurred exclusively from August to December when ripe dry pods that fell to the ground were ingested. The major clinical signs were hyperaesthesia, wild running, lateral recumbency with rapid leg movements, nystagmus and rapid blinking. Approximately 75% of clinical cases made a full and rapid recovery. Sheep more often showed signs of poisoning than goats which was attributed to inherent susceptibility rather than selective feeding. The majority of animals affected were under 1 year of age. A series of experiments was conducted and all animals dosed with 6.4 g/kg or more of dry pods died with typical clinical signs. Although A. versicolor is well known to the local population there appeared to be no appreciation of its toxicity. Poisonings are probably rare under traditional management systems.

Amaranthus retroflexus (redroot pigweed)-induced nephrotoxicity was diagnosed in 6 herds of cattle from 3 counties in southwest Missouri. Forty-eight cows and calves died and another 35 were clinically affected. Serum urea nitrogen concentration, determined in 4 affected calves, was between 55 and 284 mg/dl, and serum creatinine concentration was between 6.7 and 29.9 mg/dl. Postmortem examination of affected cows and calves revealed amber-colored fluid in peritoneal cavities and retroperitoneal perirenal edema. Histologic examination of kidney sections revealed widespread degeneration and necrosis of proximal and distal tubules. Compared with archived kidney sections from cattle with Quercus (oak) poisoning, distal renal tubules were more severely affected. Oak poisoning also was associated with a higher prevalence of interstitial fibrosis and renal tubular oxalosis. We concluded that ingestion of the aerial and leafy portions of pigweed by cattle in drought situations does not necessarily lead to nitrate-induced sudden death associated with consumption of the nitrate-containing stems.

Diets containing 0.8, 2.53 and 8.0% field variety morning glory seed were fed to male and female rats (20 per group) in a 90-day subchronic feeding study. Gross clinical observations, body weight, and feed and water intake were recorded weekly. At 90 days, all surviving rats were autopsied, organs were weighed, and blood chemistry analyses, haematology, and bone-marrow evaluation for evidence of clastogenic effects were performed. Tissues from control (0% seed) and high-dose (8.0% seed) rats were examined histologically. Effects of morning glory seed were noted mainly in the high-dose group of both sexes. These included increases in mortality, feed consumption (on a body-weight basis), water consumption, serum alkaline phosphatase and potassium, white blood cell count, and brain and liver weights (as a percentage of body weight); body-weight gain and serum glucose were decreased. Significant changes seen in high-dose females alone were: increased haemoglobin, serum constituents (urea nitrogen, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, and ornithine carbamyl transferase), and organ weights (heart, kidney, spleen and pancreas as a percentage of body weight), and decreases in serum albumin, total protein, albumin:globulin ratio, and calcium. Significant changes occurring in high-dose males alone were: increased testicular weight (as a percentage of body weight), increased serum phosphorus, and decreased serum cholesterol. Liver degeneration in the high-dose females was greater than that in the controls. Mortality at 8.0% seed in the diet was 40% in males and 10% in females. At 0.8% seed, the only parameter that differed significantly from that of the controls was a final body-weight reduction in females without a corresponding reduction in feed consumption.

In the 20 years 1958-77 598 deaths were registered as due to accidental poisoning in British children under the age of 10-343 boys and 255 girls. Drugs caused 484 deaths, non-medicinal products 111, and plants three. The annual number of deaths reached a peak in 1964 but fell steadily thereafter; 16 deaths occurred in 1977. After 1970 tricyclic antidepressants replaced salicylates as the most commonly fatal poison. The next ten drugs most often recorded in 1970-7 were, in order, opiates (including diphenoxylate/atropine (Lomotil)), barbiturates, digoxin, orphenadrine (Disipal), quinine, potassium, iron, fenfluramine (Ponderax), antihistamines, and phenothiazines. In 20 years paracetamol caused one death, and before 1976 deaths caused by aspirin had fallen to fewer than two a year. Thus the introduction in 1976 and 1977 of safety packaging of these drugs can be expected to have little impact on the mortality from them in childhood.

White river rafting is becoming a major summer recreational activity throughout the United States. Many people who are ill prepared physically or emotionally to survive will find themselves isolated and in extremely dangerous situations without access to medical help. In addition to the physical dangers of drowning, there are dangers that exist in the concept of "living off the land" and foraging for food. Cicuta douglasii is found in all of our western states, is extremely toxic and can easily be confused with wild parsnip or carrot. Physicians and poison control centers need to be aware of the common poisonous plants in their area and be prepared to treat cases of poisoning from these plants.

Yellow oleander or Thevetia peruviana is a very common plant in the North of Sri Lanka. Ever since the fact that the fruits and kernel are poisonous was published in the Newspapers, many cases of poisoning due to Thevetia occurred. 170 cases of Thevetia poisoning admitted to the Teaching Hospital, Jaffna in the North of Sri Lanka are studied by the authors. The mortality, morbidity, age distribution, presenting symptoms and clinical findings are analysed. The action of the cardiac glycoside in Thevetia is clearly demonstrated in this study.

Factors affecting the phototoxic response of sheep to Tetradymia glabrata were investigated. Photosensitization, which occurs regularly in the field situation, was unpredictable and difficult to produce experimentally. In attempting to understand this unpredictability we concluded that the plant does not lose its toxicity after field collection either through volatility of the toxin, plant enzymatic degradation of the toxin or dehydration. The chlorophyll source, from which the suspected phototoxic agent phylloerythrin is derived, did not appear to be important. The single case of photosensitization produced gave no clues as to why it occurred. Some predisposing factors important to the production of tetradymia related photosensitization in sheep are unknown. In disagreement with previous reports the hepatotoxic response of sheep to Tetradymia glabrata was extremely variable. Also plants in comparable stages of growth, but from different locations, varied in their toxicity to sheep. Young budding plants are most toxic, however, toxicity of the plant remains through maturity.