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Journal of Agricultural and Food... Apr 2021Poisonous plants cause large losses to the livestock industry through death, reduced production efficiency, reproductive dysfunction, and compromised harvesting of... (Review)
Review
Poisonous plants cause large losses to the livestock industry through death, reduced production efficiency, reproductive dysfunction, and compromised harvesting of rangeland and pasture forages. Research investigating poisonous plants is complex because there are hundreds of genera of toxic plants representing thousands of species. To investigate the effects of poisonous plants on livestock, a clear understanding of the taxonomic identity of the plant and the ability to collect the plant in sufficient quantities for scientific studies is required. Subsequently, the active principles must be defined and investigated in the taxa of interest to better predict risk and make recommendations to reduce losses. Herbaria are collections of preserved plant specimens and are an important resource in poisonous plant research. Voucher specimens have often been used in the identification of the plant for the experimental reproduction of suspected livestock poisoning associated with a spontaneous case. More recently, herbarium specimens have been used to investigate the chemical composition of toxic plants as well as the distribution of different chemotypes over the landscape. The primary purpose of this review is to highlight the chemical analysis of herbarium specimens in poisonous plant research.
Topics: Animals; Livestock; Phytochemicals; Plant Poisoning; Plants, Toxic
PubMed: 33797894
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c00708 -
The Veterinary Clinics of North... Nov 2020Whether exposed by grazing toxic range or pasture plants or by eating contaminated feed, there are plant toxins that produce urinary tract disease, gastroenteritis, and... (Review)
Review
Whether exposed by grazing toxic range or pasture plants or by eating contaminated feed, there are plant toxins that produce urinary tract disease, gastroenteritis, and other miscellaneous or multisystemic diseases. Diagnosis can be challenging and requires incorporation of field studies, clinical signs, gross and microscopic pathology, and chemical identification of plants, toxins, and metabolites in animal samples. The objectives of this review are to introduce poisonous plants that commonly poison livestock in North America; describe clinical and pathologic lesions they produce in livestock; and present current technology available to identify poisoning, treat affected animals, and minimize or avoid poisoning additional animals.
Topics: Animals; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Livestock; North America; Oxalates; Plant Poisoning; Plants, Toxic; Urologic Diseases
PubMed: 33032700
DOI: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2020.08.006 -
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde Nov 2020Recent publications on fatal cases of mushroom poisoning and wasp's stings in the Netherlands raised the question how poisonous the Dutch wildlife is. In this article I...
Recent publications on fatal cases of mushroom poisoning and wasp's stings in the Netherlands raised the question how poisonous the Dutch wildlife is. In this article I focus on plants, berries, mushrooms and animals. The annual reports of the National Poison Control Center provide the number of consultations related to mushroom poisoning, toxic plants and animals. The majority of consultations concerns contact with toxic plants in gardens and indoors. In three-quarter of the cases the patient is a child (0-12 years). Serious mushroom poisoning occurs mainly in adults who mistook a poisonous mushroom for an edible one. Although snake bites are reported in the Netherlands, most of these are due to exotic snakes kept in indoor terraria. Fatal reactions to wasp's stings are due to anaphylactic reactions. All in all, poisoning is rare and the Dutch countryside can be considered a safe place.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Animals, Wild; Bites and Stings; Child; Environment; Female; Humans; Male; Mushroom Poisoning; Netherlands; Plant Poisoning; Poison Control Centers; Wasps
PubMed: 33331732
DOI: No ID Found -
Tropical Animal Health and Production Nov 2020Palicourea marcgravii is the most important poisonous plant of cattle in Brazil. It contains monofluoroacetic acid and causes sudden death associated with exercise....
Palicourea marcgravii is the most important poisonous plant of cattle in Brazil. It contains monofluoroacetic acid and causes sudden death associated with exercise. Herein, we describe the temporal and spatial distribution of the toxic disease. The survey was based on the epidemiological, clinical, and pathological data of the Setor de Anatomia Patológica (SAP) of the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRuralRJ) to report outbreaks of poisoning by P. marcgravii, from 1953 to 2018. Clinical signs were peracute and included labored breathing, loss of balance, muscle tremors, lateral recumbency, and limb paddling. Gross lesions such as congestion of large vessels and edema and pulmonary congestion were observed. Multifocal areas of vacuolar hydropic degeneration of distal contorted tubule cells with nuclear pyknosis were observed in the kidneys. The plant is found in forests, and the poisoning occurs mainly after clearing forests for pasture, in areas of natural forest recovery called "capoeira," which provide a favorable environment for maintaining P. marcgravii growth. Outbreaks of P. marcgravii poisoning coincided with periods of creation of large deforested pastures in the Southeast and Midwest regions of Brazil, and the poisoning should be considered an additional risk after deforestation. The most effective prophylaxis is fencing off the forest areas that contain these plants.
Topics: Animals; Brazil; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Plant Poisoning; Plants, Toxic; Rubiaceae
PubMed: 32960398
DOI: 10.1007/s11250-020-02388-2 -
Indian Journal of Critical Care... Apr 2021Plant poisoning is one of the common methods of deliberate self-poisoning (DSP). Exposure to plants and its consequence account for a considerable number of deaths in...
BACKGROUND
Plant poisoning is one of the common methods of deliberate self-poisoning (DSP). Exposure to plants and its consequence account for a considerable number of deaths in rural India.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This retrospective observational study was conducted in the emergency department of a large tertiary care hospital in South India over a period of 2 years and recruited patients who presented with DSP from plant poisoning.
RESULTS
During the study period, 150 cases of plant poisoning were included. The mean (standard deviation) age of presentation was 31.4 (12.2) years. The most common type of plant poison consumed was oleander (63%) followed by oduvanthalai (50%), (3%), datura (3%), and others, which comprised about 5.3% included henna (1.3%), cactus (1.3%), and a case each of castor, and . Patients in age-group 16-30 years had the highest rate of ingestion. The seasonal pattern was found to peak in the month of April. Gastric lavage was done in 102/150:68%. Consumption of decoction [odds ratio (OR): 5, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.27-14.00, value: <0.001] and metabolic acidosis (pH <7.35) (OR: 11.48, 95% CI: 4.17-31.57, value: <0.001) were more common in oduvanthalai poisoning as compared to oleander. The mortality among plant poisoning was 9.3% (14/150).
CONCLUSION
Our study sheds light on the spectrum of local plants consumed for DSP. Oleander and oduvanthalai were most commonly used for DSP. Consuming a decoction of leaves leading to severe metabolic acidosis at presentation is seen associated with oduvanthalai poisoning.
HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE
Abhilash KPP, Murugan S, Rabbi AS, Pradeeptha S, Pradeep R, Gunasekaran K. Deliberate Self-poisoning due to Plant Toxins: Verdant Footprints of the Past into the Present. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(4):392-397.
PubMed: 34045805
DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10071-23784 -
Veterinary Record Open 2020There is extensive literature on animal poisoning from plants and mushrooms worldwide; however, there is limited account of poisoning from South Africa.
BACKGROUND
There is extensive literature on animal poisoning from plants and mushrooms worldwide; however, there is limited account of poisoning from South Africa.
METHODS
This study sought to describe and provide an overview of animal poison exposures in South Africa. Poisoning episodes reported to the Poisons Information Helpline of the Western Cape, jointly run by the Poisons Information Centres at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and Tygerberg Hospital over a period of approximately 2.5 years, from June 2015 to November 2017, were analysed to identify exposure patterns, severity and clinical outcomes.
RESULTS
Alien plant species accounted for most cases (n=10) of reported poison exposures. Among the 26 recorded animal poisoning episodes, the dog was the most commonly implicated species (n=24), whereas just two enquiries were related to other animals (one rabbit and one cow). There were 20 plant cases and 6 mushroom cases (all dogs). There was only one fatal case involving cycad in a dog.
CONCLUSION
Features of animal poisoning in South Africa were similar to those in other countries. The reported cases of animals exposed to poisonous plants and mushrooms could represent only a fraction of the actual exposures. Since most reported cases involved taxa that could not be identified to species level, more attention should be paid in case reporting and in animal poisoning prevention, engaging the public to enable people to recognise potentially hazardous plants and reduce the risk of poisoning in animals.
PubMed: 33262890
DOI: 10.1136/vetreco-2020-000402 -
Cureus Oct 2022Datura, a wild-growing annual plant, common in the American Southwest and the Caribbean, has many uses, including medicinal or pharmaceutical, ornamental, religious, and...
Datura, a wild-growing annual plant, common in the American Southwest and the Caribbean, has many uses, including medicinal or pharmaceutical, ornamental, religious, and social. In the Caribbean, this white trumpet-shaped flower has been used for many cultural aspects and has also been found to be used as a potent psychological stimulant. Despite its many purposes, its inappropriate misuse can result in mild-to-severe toxicity, leading to severe anticholinergic effects and even death in some cases. The purpose of this report is to highlight the toxic effects of this plant when misused and the subsequent management as it relates to the spectrum of anticholinergic poisoning, a common complication of drug overdose. We describe a case of datura poisoning presenting in Trinidad, West Indies, which was not described previously in the literature.
PubMed: 36337813
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.29829 -
Journal of the American College of... Apr 2021In the absence of a definitive cure, herbal medications are gaining increasing popularity in the general public for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
In the absence of a definitive cure, herbal medications are gaining increasing popularity in the general public for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although many herbal preparations are safe and can be used without complication, serious toxicities do occur. This article focuses on the major characteristics and toxicities of herbal preparations that have been proposed as treatments for COVID-19.
METHODS
A review was performed focusing on herbal preparations that have gained popularity as potential treatments for COVID-19. Some of these preparations have been directly recommended by government agencies, whereas others have gained popularity through various other news sources.
RESULTS
The herbal preparations covered in this paper include the cardiac glycoside oleandrin, plants of the genus, and herbs commonly used in traditional Chinese Medicine including plants of the genus, bitter apricot seeds, ephedra, and licorice root.
CONCLUSION
Although herbal preparations have been reported to aid in the treatment of COVID-19 with success, few clinical trials have been performed to evaluate their efficacy and instead rely mainly on studies and anecdotal reports. Furthermore, many of the herbal preparations suggested carry significant toxicities, and frontline healthcare workers should be aware of the common symptoms and toxidromes that result from these poisonings.
PubMed: 33817690
DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12411 -
Wilderness & Environmental Medicine Dec 2015
Topics: Humans; India; Plant Poisoning; Plants, Toxic; Sri Lanka; Thevetia
PubMed: 26456837
DOI: 10.1016/j.wem.2015.07.007 -
Neurologia (Barcelona, Spain) 2014Cycads are ornamental plants that in some parts of the world are used as fresh food or raw material for producing flour with a high nutritional value. However, they also... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Cycads are ornamental plants that in some parts of the world are used as fresh food or raw material for producing flour with a high nutritional value. However, they also contain active compounds, including methylazoxymethanol, β-methylamino-L-alanine, β-alanine-L-oxalylamino and cycasin, which may produce neurotoxic effects. Some studies have associated consuming cycads and their derivatives with neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/Parkinsonism dementia complex, and other diseases characterised by motor impairment. Therefore, we must not forget that any product, no matter how natural, may present health risks or benefits depending on the chemical compounds it contains and the susceptibility of those who consume it.
DEVELOPMENT
We completed a literature analysis to evaluate the neurotoxic properties of cycads and their association with neurological diseases in order to provide structured scientific information that may contribute to preventing health problems in people who use these plants.
CONCLUSION
Cycads contain neurotoxic compounds that may contribute to the development of neurological diseases when ingested improperly. We must be mindful of the fact that while some plants have a high nutritional value and may fill the food gap for vulnerable populations, they can also be toxic and have a negative impact on health.
Topics: Amino Acids, Diamino; Animals; Cyanobacteria Toxins; Cycas; Cycasin; Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; Guam; Humans; Methylazoxymethanol Acetate; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Neurotoxins; Plant Poisoning
PubMed: 23725821
DOI: 10.1016/j.nrl.2013.03.005