Nicotiana glauca poisoning in ostriches (Struthio camelus)

Putative Nicotiana glauca (wild tobacco) poisoning was diagnosed in a flock of ostriches near Oudtshoorn, South Africa. Post mortem examinations (n = 7) were performed on ostriches (Struthio camelus) that had died. Suspicious leaf remnants (weighing 80–770 g), packed in a layer on top of other plant material, were carefully separated from the proventricular content and submitted for chemical determination of anabasine, the major toxic principle contained by this plant. A standard solid phase extraction method was used followed by an optimised liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry procedure. Anabasine was detected in the leaf remnants (114–177 μg/g dry weight) removed from the proventriculus of the ostriches that succumbed as well as in control N. glauca leaves (193 μg/g dry weight). The analytical methods used in this study revealed the presence of anabasine in the suspicious leaf remnants, indicating that the birds had been exposed to N. glauca and had died of this poisoning.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_savet.htm

Technique for the collection of clear urine from the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

Urine samples can be a very useful diagnostic tool for the evaluation of animal health. In this article, a simple technique to collect urine from the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) was described, based on a similar unpublished technique developed for the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) using a canine urinary catheter. With this technique, it was possible to collect relatively clean urine samples from Nile crocodiles of different sizes using canine urinary catheters or small diameter stomach tubes. Based on the gross anatomical features of the cloaca of the Nile crocodile, it was confirmed that urine accumulates in a chamber consisting of the urodeum and coprodeum. Faecal material is stored temporarily in the very short rectum, which is separated from the urinary chamber by the rectocoprodeal sphincter.The Norwegian Council for Higher Education’s Program for Development, Research and Educationhttp://www.jsava.co.zamn201

Removing the Threat of Diclofenac to Critically Endangered Asian Vultures

Veterinary use of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drug diclofenac in South Asia has resulted in the collapse of populations of three vulture species of the genusGyps to the most severe category of global extinction risk. Vultures are exposed to diclofenac when scavenging on livestock treated with the drug shortly before death. Diclofenac causes kidney damage, increased serum uric acid concentrations, visceral gout, and death. Concern about this issue led the Indian Government to announce its intention to ban the veterinary use of diclofenac by September 2005. Implementation of a ban is still in progress late in 2005, and to facilitate this we sought potential alternative NSAIDs by obtaining information from captive bird collections worldwide. We found that the NSAID meloxicam had been administered to 35 captiveGyps vultures with no apparent ill effects. We then undertook a phased programme of safety testing of meloxicam on the African white-backed vultureGyps africanus, which we had previously established to be as susceptible to diclofenac poisoning as the endangered AsianGyps vultures. We estimated the likely maximum level of exposure (MLE) of wild vultures and dosed birds by gavage (oral administration) with increasing quantities of the drug until the likely MLE was exceeded in a sample of 40G. africanus. Subsequently, sixG. africanus were fed tissues from cattle which had been treated with a higher than standard veterinary course of meloxicam prior to death. In the final phase, ten Asian vultures of two of the endangered species(Gyps bengalensis,Gyps indicus) were dosed with meloxicam by gavage; five of them at more than the likely MLE dosage. All meloxicam-treated birds survived all treatments, and none suffered any obvious clinical effects. Serum uric acid concentrations remained within the normal limits throughout, and were significantly lower than those from birds treated with diclofenac in other studies. We conclude that meloxicam is of low toxicity toGyps vultures and that its use in place of diclofenac would reduce vulture mortality substantially in the Indian subcontinent. Meloxicam is already available for veterinary use in India

The use of liver slices from the Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres) to better understand the role of liver toxicity of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in vultures

Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) was responsible for the death of millions of vultures on the Asian subcontinent, following the consumption of diclofenac contaminated carcasses. The aim of this research was to establish if liver slices could serve as an alternate means of predicting the toxicity of NSAIDs in Gyps vultures. The Cape vulture liver slices was prepared and incubated with four NSAIDs for 6 h. A percent clearance of 1.0 ± 0.253, 0.58 ± 0.153, 0.961 ± 0.312 and 1.242 ± 0.406 (%/h*g) was attained for diclofenac, carprofen, ketoprofen and meloxicam respectively. Both meloxicam and diclofenac exerted toxic effects on the hepatic cells. Protein content indicated that the vulture tissue had lower enzyme levels than expected for an animal of its size. The poor distinction between the ex vivo hepatic percent clearance of meloxicam and diclofenac indicates that liver slices is not an ideal model to investigate NSAIDs toxicity in Cape vulture.The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa (Grant no 87772 ).http://www.elsevier.com/locate/etap2019-09-01hj2018Paraclinical Science

The toxicity of Senecio inaequidens DC.

This study was designed to confirm the toxicity of a plant implicated in an outbreak of poisoning of stock in Frankfort, Free State Province, South Africa. Cows died acutely after being introduced into a camp, where an abundant, green shrublet was noted to be heavily grazed. This plant was subsequently identified as Senecio inaequidens DC. (Asteraceae) by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Extraction and chemical analyses for pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in Senecio inaequidens revealed the presence of 4 different compounds, namely retrorsine and senecionine (known to be hepatotoxic) and 2 unidentified compounds. The average total PA (free base plus N-oxide) concentration in plant parts of S. inaequidens collected at Frankfort during the outbreak was 0.81 %, compared with the total alkaloid content in the dried, milled S. inaequidens plant material, collected 7 weeks after the outbreak, of only 0.18 %. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=4), aged 8-9 weeks, were dosed per os. Each rat received a different dose of the crude Senecio inaequidens extract, ranging from 0.049 mg/g body weight (b.w.) to 0.25 mg/g b.w. No clinical signs were observed in the rat receiving the lowest dose. Rats receiving higher doses showed depression, an unsteady gait, pilo-erection and jaundice, which was particularly noticeable in the ears. Clinical chemistry evaluation revealed an increase in the activities of ALP (except Rat 4), AST and GGT in all animals. Total serum bilirubin, creatinine and urea concentrations were also elevated. All rats had low serum globulin concentrations with an A/G ratio above 1.2. Post mortem examination of the rats revealed marked hepatic lesions. Histopathologically, these changes were characterised by necrosis (variable in extent) of the centrilobular and midzonal hepatocytes (but sparing the portal hepatocytes), with extensive haemorrhage and congestion. Proliferation of the bile ducts, fibrosis and oedema were also present. Ultrastructural changes in affected rats were characterised by margination of chromatin, the presence of numerous autolysosomes in necrotic hepatocytes, intramitochondrial woolly inclusions and changes in the endoplasmic reticulum. A sheep, also dosed with the crude extract, failed to exhibit clinical signs, clinical chemistry aberrations or macroscopic lesions; however, examination of the liver of this sheep revealed histopathological and ultrastructural changes similar, though milder, to those displayed by the rats. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids were extracted from the liver and kidneys of the rats and the sheep. In the case of the sheep, retrorsine was also detected in the lungs, urine and bile

Technique for the collection of clear urine from the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

Urine samples can be a very useful diagnostic tool for the evaluation of animal health. In this article, a simple technique to collect urine from the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) was described, based on a similar unpublished technique developed for the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) using a canine urinary catheter. With this technique, it was possible to collect relatively clean urine samples from Nile crocodiles of different sizes using canine urinary catheters or small diameter stomach tubes. Based on the gross anatomical features of the cloaca of the Nile crocodile, it was confirmed that urine accumulates in a chamber consisting of the urodeum and coprodeum. Faecal material is stored temporarily in the very short rectum, which is separated from the urinary chamber by the rectocoprodeal sphincter

Relationship of Uric Acid in Serum to the Dose of Meloxicam and Diclofenac Administered and to the Administration Method

<p>Serum concentration of uric acid inGyps africanus 48 h (turquoise) and 96 h (blue) after treatment, in relation to the dose of meloxicam administered per kg of vulture body weight. For comparison, the geometric mean uric acid level (central horizontal line) and 95% range (upper and lower horizontal lines) of the experimental birds 24 h before treatment are shown. Also shown are serum concentrations of uric acid 24 h after treatment inG. africanus (red squares),G. bengalensis (red diamonds), andG. fulvus (red triangles), to which diclofenac was administered by various methods. The red line shows the regression model fitted to these data. Panels show results for different methods of administration of meloxicam to<i>G. africanus:</i> (A) gavage, (B) by feeding liver from meloxicam treated cattle, (C) by feeding muscle from meloxicam-treated cattle. Data from diclofenac experiments were taken from references [<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.0040066#pbio-0040066-b001" target="_blank">1</a>] and [<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.0040066#pbio-0040066-b007" target="_blank">7</a>].</p

Effect of Administration of Meloxicam and Diclofenac by Gavage on Uric Acid in the Serum of Vultures

<p>Blue symbols show the ratio of the geometric mean serum concentration of uric acid for a group ofGyps africanus treated with meloxicam by gavage to that for a control group treated with water and sampled at the same time. Vertical lines show 95% confidence limits for the ratio. The dashed horizontal line indicates a ratio of 1; i.e., no effect of treatment. For each of six samplings after treatment, results are shown for experiments in which different doses of drug were used. The fill colour of the blue symbols indicates the meloxicam dose for the treated group: white = 0.5 mg kg⁻¹ (Phase I); light blue = 1.0 mg kg⁻¹ (Phase II); dark blue = 2.0 mg kg⁻¹ (squares = Phase III, diamonds = Phase IV-2). Red vertical bars show the maximum and minimum values of the equivalent ratio for two groups of<i>G. africanus,</i> one group treated with 0.8 mg kg⁻¹ of diclofenac by gavage and another group treated with water and sampled at the same time. Open red symbols show the ratio of the serum concentration after treatment to that at the time of treatment for three individualG. fulvus given 0.8 mg kg⁻¹ of diclofenac by gavage. Filled red symbols show the ratio of the serum concentration 24 h post-treatment to that 1 h post-treatment for three individualG. bengalensis given 0.25 mg kg⁻¹ (squares) and 2.5 mg kg⁻¹ (diamond) of diclofenac by gavage. Data from diclofenac experiments were taken from references [<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.0040066#pbio-0040066-b001" target="_blank">1</a>] and [<a href="http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.0040066#pbio-0040066-b007" target="_blank">7</a>].</p