Cuthbert Richard J, Taggart Mark A, Prakash Vibhu, Chakraborty Soumya S, Deori Parag, Galligan Toby, Kulkarni Mandar, Ranade Sachin, Saini Mohini, Sharma Anil Kumar, Shringarpure Rohan, Green Rhys E
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK Wildlife Conservation Society, PO Box 277, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.
Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Thurso KW14 7JD, UK.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2014 Nov 19;369(1656). doi: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0574.
Veterinary use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac on domesticated ungulates caused populations of resident Gyps vultures in the Indian sub-continent to collapse. The birds died when they fed on carrion from treated animals. Veterinary diclofenac was banned in 2006 and meloxicam was advocated as a 'vulture-safe' alternative. We examine the effectiveness of the 2006 ban, whether meloxicam has replaced diclofenac, and the impact of these changes on vultures. Drug residue data from liver samples collected from ungulate carcasses in India since 2004 demonstrate that the prevalence of diclofenac in carcasses in 2009 was half of that before the ban and meloxicam prevalence increased by 44%. The expected vulture death rate from diclofenac per meal in 2009 was one-third of that before the ban. Surveys at veterinary clinics show that diclofenac use in India began in 1994, coinciding with the onset of rapid Gyps declines ascertained from measured rates of declines. Our study shows that one pharmaceutical product has had a devastating impact on Asia's vultures. Large-scale research and survey were needed to detect, diagnose and quantify the problem and measure the response to remedial actions. Given these difficulties, other effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment may remain undetected.
在印度次大陆，非甾体抗炎药双氯芬酸用于家畜导致当地的白背兀鹫种群数量锐减。这些兀鹫因食用了接受过双氯芬酸治疗的动物的尸体而死亡。2006年，兽用双氯芬酸被禁止使用，美洛昔康被倡导作为“对兀鹫安全”的替代品。我们研究了2006年禁令的有效性、美洛昔康是否已取代双氯芬酸，以及这些变化对兀鹫的影响。自2004年以来从印度有蹄类动物尸体肝脏样本中获取的药物残留数据表明，2009年尸体中双氯芬酸的检出率是禁令实施前的一半，而美洛昔康的检出率上升了44%。2009年每进食一次因双氯芬酸导致的兀鹫预期死亡率是禁令实施前死亡率的三分之一。在兽医诊所进行的调查显示，印度从1994年开始使用双氯芬酸，这与从测量的下降速率确定的白背兀鹫数量迅速减少的开始时间相吻合。我们的研究表明，一种药品对亚洲的兀鹫产生了毁灭性影响。需要进行大规模的研究和调查来检测、诊断和量化该问题，并衡量对补救行动的反应。鉴于这些困难，环境中药物的其他影响可能仍未被发现。
