BLOOD LEAD CONCENTRATION ANALYSIS BETWEEN REHABILITATION FACILITY AND PERI-URBAN ENVIRONMENT VIRGINIA OPOSSUMS () OF ILLINOIS.

The Virginia opossum () is the only marsupial in North America with a natural range north of Mexico. Its range is widespread throughout the United States, including Illinois. Virginia opossums are opportunistic omnivores that will eat a variety of fruits, grains, insects, and even carrion.

Pyrogallol Toxicosis in Horses.

Plants in the maple genus, Acer, and pistachio genus, Pistacia, have been reported to cause acute hemolysis in horses. The cause of hemolysis seems to be metabolism of gallic acids to the potent oxidant pyrogallol by enteric bacteria of the horse. Diagnosis is often tentative and circumstantial.

The role of the veterinary diagnostic toxicologist in apiary health.

Susceptibility of individuals and groups to toxicants depends on complex interactions involving the host, environment, and other exposures. Apiary diagnostic investigation and honey bee health are truly population medicine: the colony is the patient. Here we provide basic information on the application of toxicology to the testing of domestic honey bees, and, in light of recent research, expand on some of the challenges of interpreting analytical chemistry findings as they pertain to hive health.

Pesticide contamination of beeswax from managed honey bee colonies in New York State.

The New York State (NYS) beekeeping industry generated >$11M worth of honey in 2020 and >$300M in pollination services to agriculture annually. Bees are frequently exposed to pesticides through foraging and husbandry practices. Lipophilic pesticides can remain in beeswax for extended periods.

Cantharidin.

Cantharidin is the toxic component of blister beetles of the genus Epicauta. Cantharidin is a potent vesicant which causes blisters, erosions, and ulcerations in the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts, and can cause myocardial necrosis. Blister beetles are found over most of North America and specifically contaminate alfalfa at harvest.

Marijuana toxicosis in 2 donkeys.

Marijuana toxicosis is typically seen by companion animal veterinarians. However, with increased marijuana availability, there is a greater potential for toxicosis in other species. Herein we describe a case of suspected marijuana toxicosis in a female and a male American Mammoth donkey, aged 8 y and 20 y, respectively, fed cannabis buds.

The urban lead (Pb) burden in humans, animals and the natural environment.

Centuries of human activities, particularly housing and transportation practices from the late 19th century through the 1980's, dispersed hundreds of millions of tons of lead into our urban areas. The urban lead burden is evident among humans, wild and domesticated animals, and plants. Animal lead exposures closely mirror and often exceed the lead exposure patterns of their human partners.

Analysis of neurofilament concentration in healthy adult horses and utility in the diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis and equine motor neuron disease.

Neurofilaments (NFs) are structural proteins of neurons that are released in significant quantities in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood as a result of neuronal degeneration or axonal damage. Therefore, NFs have potential as biomarkers for neurologic disorders. Neural degeneration increases with age and has the potential to confound the utility of NFs as biomarkers in the diagnosis of neurologic disorders.

Pet Food Recalls and Pet Food Contaminants in Small Animals: An Update.

Commercial pet foods are usually safe, but incidents of contamination can have a devastating impact on companion animals and their owners. There are numerous possible contaminants ranging from natural contaminants to nutrient imbalances to chemical adulteration, making it impossible to predict what will cause the next pet food recall. Veterinarians involvement with pet food recalls includes examining and treating affected animals, documentation and sample collection, and communicating with pet food manufacturers and regulatory agencies.

Equine feed contamination and toxicology.

Feed as a cause of poisoning in horses can occur on small or large scales. It is challenging to work up cases of suspected feed contamination, but there are resources available to veterinarians and owners. Feed contamination can be chemical or biological.

Zinc Toxicosis in a Boxer Dog Secondary to Ingestion of Holiday Garland.

Introduction: Increased admissions occur in small animal veterinary emergency clinics during some holidays, and some of the increased caseload is due to ingestion of toxic substances. This report documents zinc toxicosis contributing to the death of a dog after ingestion of holiday tinsel garland.

Case Study: A mature boxer dog presented with a 4-day history of vomiting and diarrhea.

Serotonin Syndrome from 5-Hydroxytryptophan Supplement Ingestion in a 9-Month-Old Labrador Retriever.

Introduction: 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) supplements are available over the counter and labeled as sleeping aids and anxiolytics for human use. 5-HTP is a serotonin precursor and overdose can lead to serotonin syndrome.

Case Report: A 9-month-old female Labrador retriever was evaluated after ingestion of a 5-HTP supplement.

Severe Lead Toxicosis in a Lionhead Rabbit.

Introduction: Lead toxicosis occurs in veterinary patients, with few reports involving rabbits, and no previous reports using oral calcium disodium EDTA.

Case Report: A 7-year-old male castrated Lionhead rabbit presented to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA) for evaluation after a 2-day history of lethargy and a 2-week history of hyporexia. The patient had been observed pulling paint from the walls of the home, a house built circa 1900, in the months prior to presentation.

Comparison of blood and tissue lead concentrations from cattle with known lead exposure.

Blood lead (Pb) is used to diagnose Pb poisoning and exposure in cattle, but there are limited data comparing circulating Pb with concentrations in beef from the same cattle. This study determines whether there is a correlation between blood Pb and tissue Pb concentrations in accidentally exposed cattle. Pb analyses were carried out on ante-mortem blood and post-mortem tissues (including, if available, brain, liver, skeletal muscle, bone, gastrointestinal contents and kidney, and also foetal tissues from one cow) collected from 13 cattle known to have accidental Pb exposure and from three control cows with no known exposure.

Treatment of pieris ingestion in goats with intravenous lipid emulsion.

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.

A rapid screen for four corticosteroids in equine synovial fluid.

Most antidoping method development in the equine industry has been for plasma and urine, though there has been recent interest in the analysis of synovial fluid for evidence of doping by intra-articular corticosteroid injection. Published methods for corticosteroid analysis in synovial fluid are primarily singleplex methods, do not screen for all corticosteroids of interest and are not adequately sensitive. The purpose of this study is to develop a rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) screening method for the detection of four of the most common intra-articularly administered corticosteroids--betamethasone, methylprednisolone, methylprednisolone acetate and triamcinolone acetonide.

Lead excretion in milk of accidentally exposed dairy cattle.

Lead (Pb) exposure in dairy cattle is associated with economic losses due to mortality and treatment costs, but with production animals there is also risk to the human food chain. The first objective of this study was to quantify the Pb concentration in milk from Pb-exposed cattle. The second objective was to correlate blood and milk Pb concentrations from individual cows.

Development of a monoclonal antibody against deoxynivalenol for magnetic nanoparticle-based extraction and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Monoclonal antibody (mAb, NVRQS-DON) against deoxynivalenol (DON) was prepared. DON-Ag coated enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and DON-Ab coated ELISA were prepared by coating the DON-BSA and DON mAb. Quantitative DON calculation ranged from 50 to 4,000 ng/mL for DON-Ab coated ELISA and from 25 to 500 ng/mL for DON-Ag coated ELISA.

Identification of protoxins and a microbial basis for red maple (Acer rubrum) toxicosis in equines.

The leaves of Acer rubrum (red maple), especially when wilted in the fall, cause severe oxidative damage to equine erythrocytes, leading to potentially fatal methemoglobinemia and hemolytic anemia. Gallic acid and tannins from A. rubrum leaves have been implicated as the toxic compounds responsible for red maple toxicosis, but the mechanism of action and toxic principle(s) have not been elucidated to date.

Production of a highly group-specific monoclonal antibody against zearalenone and its application in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

A monoclonal antibody (mAb) against zearalenone (ZEN) was produced using ZEN-carboxymethoxylamine and -BSA conjugates. Antibody produced by one clone showing a very high binding ability was selected and found to have a higher affinity for ZEN compared to a commerciall ZEN antibody. We developed two direct competitive ELISA systems using the selected antibody (ZEN-coated and anti-ZEN antibody-coated ELISA).

Pet food recalls and pet food contaminants in small animals.

Most pet foods are safe, but incidents of chemical contamination occur and lead to illness and recalls. There were 11 major pet food recalls in the United States between 1996 and 2010 that were due to chemical contaminants or misformulations: 3 aflatoxin, 3 excess vitamin D3, 1 excess methionine, 3 inadequate thiamine, and 1 adulteration with melamine and related compounds and an additional 2 warnings concerning a Fanconilike renal syndrome in dogs after ingesting large amounts of chicken jerky treat products. This article describes clinical findings and treatment of animals exposed to the most common pet food contaminants.

Declines in blood lead concentrations in clinically affected and unaffected cattle accidentally exposed to lead.

Lead (Pb) poisoning remains a common cause of morbidity in dairy and beef cattle. Although Pb toxicosis is typically diagnosed in cattle with clinical signs of acute or subacute Pb poisoning, it has been hypothesized that subclinical chronic exposure of cattle to Pb, which often goes undiagnosed, poses more of a risk to the human consumer. There is not adequate information on Pb kinetics to determine when or if Pb-exposed cattle can safely enter the food chain.

An unusual case of relay pentobarbital toxicosis in a dog.

Sodium pentobarbital and phenytoin are common constituents of veterinary euthanasia solutions in the United States. Relay, or secondary, barbiturate toxicosis has been reported in carnivorous animals that have fed from the carcasses of euthanized livestock. This case report presents barbiturate toxicosis in a dog.

Production of Group Specific Monoclonal Antibody to Aflatoxins and its Application to Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay.

Through the present study, we produced a monoclonal antibody against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) using AFB1- carboxymethoxylamine BSA conjugates. One clone showing high binding ability was selected and it was applied to develop a direct competitive ELISA system. The epitope densities of AFB1-CMO against BSA and KLH were about 1 : 6 and 1 : 545, respectively.

Toxic plants of the Northeastern United States.

This article lists commonly encountered toxic plants that affect ruminants in the Northeastern United States. Livestock are at risk for ingestion of a large variety of toxic plants. Plant poisonings are likely to be underdiagnosed because tests for most plant toxins are not routinely available at veterinary diagnostic laboratories.