Title: The Importance of Veterinary Toxicology for Animal Agriculture and the Food Supply
1The Importance of Veterinary Toxicology for
Animal Agriculture and the Food Supply
- Birgit Puschner
- DVM, PhD, Dipl. ABVT
- California Animal Health and Food Safety
Laboratory System - School of Veterinary Medicine
- University of California, Davs
2Belgium PCB and Dioxin Incident
- In January, 1999, 500 tons of animal feed were
contaminated with - 50 kg of PCBs and
- 1 gram of dioxin
-
- ?Distributed to animal farms in Belgium
31 storage tank of fat
2140 pork, poultry and beef farms
10 livestock feed manufacturers
4Timeline of events
- Feed contamination January, 1999
- Early Feb, 1999 Veterinarian diagnosed chicken
edema disease ? prompted investigation - Mid March, 1999
- Feed and animal tissues were sent for tox testing
- Veterinarian considered fat in animal feed the
most likely source - April 26, 1999 Dioxin and PCB contamination
confirmed by laboratory
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660 billion Belgian francs or 1.5 billion U.S.
dollars
7Lesson learned
- Animal agriculture is an easy target
- Toxicants can be widely distributed
- Veterinarians may be the first responders
- Veterinary toxicology laboratories are crucial in
investigations - ? Toxicology Case Studies
8Poisoning Case in Dairy Cows
- 22 24 lactating cattle died over a period of 9
days in a herd of 300 cows - Affected cattle in one pen
- Clinical signs
- Reduced or no rumen motility
- Lethargic and hunched up
- Decreased milk production
- Increased respiratory rate and effort
9- ? Tongue tone
- ? Palpebral reflex
10Timeline
- Consultation with herd vet Day 1
- Necropsies Day 2
- Hold placed on milk and milk products Day 2
- Awaiting toxicology results
- Awaiting possible danger to the food supply
- Toxicology testing Day 3-5
11Toxicological Analyses
- Oleander
- OP and carbamate insecticides
- Ionophore antibiotics (monensin, etc.)
- Toxic plants tree tobacco, jimsonweed, poison
hemlock, yews, larkspurs, lupine, foxglove,
rhododendrons - Hypocalcemia
- Hypomagnesemia
- Lead
- Arsenic, Mercury, Cadmium
- Copper
- Selenium
- GC/MS screen pesticides, drugs, natural products
- FERN LC/MS screen a large variety of chemicals
that may result in high morbidity or mortality - Rat poisons
Decision with regards to safety of milk dairy
products
12Final Diagnosis Day 7
- Diagnosis of Botulism Type C Source
- Challenges
- Vagueness of clinical signs
- Tests for botulinum toxin not sensitive enough
- Tox testing crucial!
- Source of toxin
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15March 2006
1647th and Stockton blvd
17Cooked mushroom samples positive for alpha- and
beta- amanitin.
Mushroom pieces
Onions
18Toxicology Involvement
- Soup available for testing rapid diagnosis
- New methodology (LC/MS)
19Poisoning Case in Dairy Cows
- 6 lactating cattle (total in pen 16) died
within 24 hours in a herd of 600 cows - Just found dead
- Other information
- All animals are off feed a little
- All animals on dairy get the same ration TMR
(corn silage and premix, top-dressed with hay) - Owner washed a spray tank the day before
20Diagnostic Work-up
- Necropsies cardiotoxic event
- Toxicology testing oleandrin
- GI contents, liver, muscle feed
- Serum, urine, milk
Results within a few hours (LC/MS)
21Benefit of Toxicology Testing
- Rapid diagnosis
- Testing of milk and meat
22Perchlorate
23Perchlorate
- Developed LC-MS/MS method in 2 weeks
- Method detection limit 0.8 ppb
- 46 milk samples
- All samples were positive
- 1.54 ppb to 20 ppb
24Perchlorate Interlab Comparison Study
Sample No. FDA/CFSAN IC-MS/MS CAHFS HPLC-MS/MS
Milk 1 5.21ppb 5.83 ppb
Milk 2 4.59 ppb 5.28 ppb
Milk 5 4.66 ppb 5.28 ppb
Milk 7 4.70 ppb 4.85 ppb
Milk 8 4.59 ppb 5.82 ppb
25Perchlorate Regulatory Issues
- NAS recommendation 0.7 µg/kg/day
- Drinking water equivalent level (DWEL)
- 24.5 ppb for an adult
- 4 ppb for infants
- CA - Public health goal 6 ppb
26Perchlorate, Dairy Cattle and Human Health
- Human health
- WHO iodine deficiency
- Rapid transfer of dietary perchlorate to milk
- Perchlorate in dairy cows
- Ruminants biofilters?
- Perchlorate intake and milk iodide
- Goal limit perchlorate content
- of the dairy cows diet
27Insecticide Cases
- Humans
- Thai food restaurant
- 107 affected people
- Methomyl exposure
- Cattle
- Phorate
- 167 deaths
- Diagnosis established within hours
- Analysis of milk and fat within hours
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32Methomyl
- Testing of food, and food ingredients (oil, salt,
herbs)
33Mycotoxins
- Aflatoxins
- Fumonisins
- Ochratoxin
- Tricothecene mycotoxins
- Penitrem A
- Zearalenone
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35Algal Toxins
36Importance
- Testing for toxicants in a large number of
matrices - Diagnosis of intoxications
- Prevention of intoxications
- Ensuring food safety
- Assisting with risk assessments
- Providing information to regulatory agencies
37www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu
38CAHFS Toxicology Laboratory
- Member of FERN
- Received funding through the Homeland Security
Department - Largest Vet Tox Lab in the Country
- ? Highly trained personnel
- ? Continuous method development and expansion of
existing testing