Outbreak of Oleander (<i>Nerium oleander</i>) Poisoning in Dairy Cattle: Clinical and Food Safety Implications
Oleander is a spontaneous shrub widely occurring in Mediterranean regions. Poisoning is sporadically reported in livestock, mainly due to the ingestion of leaves containing toxic cardiac glycosides (primarily oleandrin). In this study, 50 lactating Fleckvieh cows were affected after being offered a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Toxins |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/12/8/471 |
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| author | Luigi Ceci Flavia Girolami Maria Teresa Capucchio Elena Colombino Carlo Nebbia Fabio Gosetti Emilio Marengo Fabrizio Iarussi Grazia Carelli |
| author_facet | Luigi Ceci Flavia Girolami Maria Teresa Capucchio Elena Colombino Carlo Nebbia Fabio Gosetti Emilio Marengo Fabrizio Iarussi Grazia Carelli |
| author_sort | Luigi Ceci |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Oleander is a spontaneous shrub widely occurring in Mediterranean regions. Poisoning is sporadically reported in livestock, mainly due to the ingestion of leaves containing toxic cardiac glycosides (primarily oleandrin). In this study, 50 lactating Fleckvieh cows were affected after being offered a diet containing dry oleander pruning wastes accidentally mixed with fodder. Clinical examination, electrocardiogram, and blood sampling were conducted. Dead animals were necropsied, and heart, liver, kidney, spleen, and intestine were submitted to histological investigation. Oleandrin detection was performed through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in blood, serum, liver, heart, milk, and cheese samples. Severe depression, anorexia, ruminal atony, diarrhea, serous nasal discharge, tachycardia, and irregular heartbeat were the most common clinical signs. The first animal died within 48 h, and a total of 13 cows died in 4 days. Disseminated hyperemia and hemorrhages, multifocal coagulative necrosis of the cardiac muscle fibers, and severe and diffuse enteritis were suggestive of oleander poisoning. The diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of oleandrin in serum, liver, heart, milk, and cheese. Our results confirm the high toxicity of oleander in cattle and report for the first time the transfer into milk and dairy products, suggesting a potential risk for the consumers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:14:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-734a7114267f41028fa1fd857621357a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6651 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:14:02Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxins |
| spelling | doaj.art-734a7114267f41028fa1fd857621357a2023-11-20T07:50:01ZengMDPI AGToxins2072-66512020-07-0112847110.3390/toxins12080471Outbreak of Oleander (<i>Nerium oleander</i>) Poisoning in Dairy Cattle: Clinical and Food Safety ImplicationsLuigi Ceci0Flavia Girolami1Maria Teresa Capucchio2Elena Colombino3Carlo Nebbia4Fabio Gosetti5Emilio Marengo6Fabrizio Iarussi7Grazia Carelli8Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, ItalyDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, ItalyDepartment of Sciences and Technological Innovation, University of Eastern Piedmont, 13100 Vercelli, ItalyDepartment of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, ItalyOleander is a spontaneous shrub widely occurring in Mediterranean regions. Poisoning is sporadically reported in livestock, mainly due to the ingestion of leaves containing toxic cardiac glycosides (primarily oleandrin). In this study, 50 lactating Fleckvieh cows were affected after being offered a diet containing dry oleander pruning wastes accidentally mixed with fodder. Clinical examination, electrocardiogram, and blood sampling were conducted. Dead animals were necropsied, and heart, liver, kidney, spleen, and intestine were submitted to histological investigation. Oleandrin detection was performed through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in blood, serum, liver, heart, milk, and cheese samples. Severe depression, anorexia, ruminal atony, diarrhea, serous nasal discharge, tachycardia, and irregular heartbeat were the most common clinical signs. The first animal died within 48 h, and a total of 13 cows died in 4 days. Disseminated hyperemia and hemorrhages, multifocal coagulative necrosis of the cardiac muscle fibers, and severe and diffuse enteritis were suggestive of oleander poisoning. The diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of oleandrin in serum, liver, heart, milk, and cheese. Our results confirm the high toxicity of oleander in cattle and report for the first time the transfer into milk and dairy products, suggesting a potential risk for the consumers.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/12/8/471bovinetoxicosisdairy productspublic healthrisk |
| spellingShingle | Luigi Ceci Flavia Girolami Maria Teresa Capucchio Elena Colombino Carlo Nebbia Fabio Gosetti Emilio Marengo Fabrizio Iarussi Grazia Carelli Outbreak of Oleander (<i>Nerium oleander</i>) Poisoning in Dairy Cattle: Clinical and Food Safety Implications Toxins bovine toxicosis dairy products public health risk |
| title | Outbreak of Oleander (<i>Nerium oleander</i>) Poisoning in Dairy Cattle: Clinical and Food Safety Implications |
| title_full | Outbreak of Oleander (<i>Nerium oleander</i>) Poisoning in Dairy Cattle: Clinical and Food Safety Implications |
| title_fullStr | Outbreak of Oleander (<i>Nerium oleander</i>) Poisoning in Dairy Cattle: Clinical and Food Safety Implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Outbreak of Oleander (<i>Nerium oleander</i>) Poisoning in Dairy Cattle: Clinical and Food Safety Implications |
| title_short | Outbreak of Oleander (<i>Nerium oleander</i>) Poisoning in Dairy Cattle: Clinical and Food Safety Implications |
| title_sort | outbreak of oleander i nerium oleander i poisoning in dairy cattle clinical and food safety implications |
| topic | bovine toxicosis dairy products public health risk |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/12/8/471 |
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