grayanotoxin-i and Plant-Poisoning

Contaminated honey is a common cause of grayanotoxin intoxication in humans. Intoxication of animals, especially cattle, is usually due to ingestion of plants of the Ericaceae family, such as Rhododendron. Here, we report the ingestion of Pieris japonica as the cause of grayanotoxin I intoxication in 2 miniature pigs that were kept as pets. The pigs showed sudden onset of pale oral mucosa, tachycardia, tachypnea, hypersalivation, tremor, and ataxia that progressed to lateral recumbency. The pathological examination of one pig revealed no specific indications for intoxication except for the finding of plant material of Pieris japonica in the intestine. Grayanotoxin I was identified in the ingested plant, gastric content, blood, liver, bile, kidney, urine, lung, and skeletal muscle via HPLC-MS/MS. Grayanotoxin I should be considered as a differential etiological diagnosis in pigs with unspecific signs and discovery of ingested plant material as the only indication in the pathologic examination.

Topics: Animals; Diterpenes; Ericaceae; Female; Male; Plant Poisoning; Swine; Swine Diseases; Swine, Miniature

Seven goats and one ram presented with clinical signs including regurgitation, obtundation, anorexia, apparent pain, and bloat. The animals had escaped from their barn, and it was discovered that they had ingested leaves of Pieris japonica, Japanese pieris, a grayanotoxin-containing plant. Animals were treated with antibiotics, calcium borogluconate, B vitamins, and activated charcoal within the first 24-h postexposure, which was followed by the recovery of the ram and two goats and the death of two goats. Approximately 36 h after Japanese pieris ingestion, one of the three remaining anorectic goats was dosed with intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE). This goat recovered within a few hours. The remaining two goats were given ILE the next day and appeared to recover, but one died a week later of aspiration pneumonia.

Topics: Animals; Diterpenes; Ericaceae; Fat Emulsions, Intravenous; Goat Diseases; Goats; Plant Poisoning

Six Nubian goats were exposed to an azalea branch (Rhododendron indica) at the Riverbanks Zoological Park in Columbia, South Carolina. The following day, 3 of the 6 goats were referred to the veterinary hospital of the Riverbanks Zoological Park with bloat, profuseregurgitation, and signs of depression, intermittent head pressing, and fine muscle tremors in the hind limbs. The goats were treated with magnesium hydroxide, activated charcoal, and lactated Ringer's solution and recovered within 24 hours. Definitive diagnosis of grayanotoxin exposure was accomplished by use of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of urine and fecal samples. Rhododendron spp are members of the Ericaceae (Heath) family and may contain grayanotoxins, which exert toxic effects by binding to sodium channels in cell membranes and increasing the permeability of sodium ions in excitable membranes. Rhododendron poisoning should be considered in animals with clinical evidence of gastrointestinal tract irritation, cardiac arrhythmias, and neurologic signs.

Topics: Animals; Diterpenes; Feces; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Goat Diseases; Goats; Plant Poisoning; Plants, Toxic; Urine

Topics: Animals; Diterpenes; Female; Goat Diseases; Goats; Plant Poisoning; Toxins, Biological

Topics: Animals; Diterpenes; Female; Neuromuscular Depolarizing Agents; Plant Poisoning; Sheep; Sheep Diseases; Toxins, Biological

A method for the detection of andromedotoxin in plant material and relicta from cases of poisoning due to Rhododendron and other members of the Ericacea is described. This method, which overcomes the problems associated with basing the diagnosis on the clinical signs exhibited and untrained identification of plant materials, has been successfully applied to the investigation of a number of field outbreaks of Rhododendron poisoning in animals.

Topics: Animals; Chromatography, Thin Layer; Diterpenes; Plant Poisoning; Rumen

Topics: Animals; Diterpenes; Female; Goats; Plant Poisoning; Toxins, Biological

Topics: Animals; Diterpenes; Goats; Neuromuscular Depolarizing Agents; Plant Poisoning; Plants, Toxic

Topics: Animals; Ataxia; Diterpenes; Plant Poisoning; Sheep; Sheep Diseases; Toxins, Biological