Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy.
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy.
Toxins (Basel). 2020 Jul 24;12(8):471. doi: 10.3390/toxins12080471.
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.
夹竹桃是一种广泛存在于地中海地区的野生灌木。家畜中毒的情况时有发生，主要是由于摄入了含有毒性强心苷（主要是欧夹竹桃苷）的叶子。在这项研究中，50 头哺乳期弗莱维赫奶牛在食用了意外混入饲料的干夹竹桃修剪废物后受到影响。对这些奶牛进行了临床检查、心电图和血液采样。对死亡动物进行了解剖，并对心脏、肝脏、肾脏、脾脏和肠道进行了组织学检查。通过超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法在血液、血清、肝脏、心脏、牛奶和奶酪样本中检测到了欧夹竹桃苷。严重的抑郁、食欲不振、瘤胃弛缓、腹泻、浆液性鼻漏、心动过速和不规则心跳是最常见的临床症状。第一头动物在 48 小时内死亡，共有 13 头奶牛在 4 天内死亡。弥散性充血和出血、心肌纤维多灶性凝固性坏死以及严重和弥漫性肠炎提示夹竹桃中毒。通过血清、肝脏、心脏、牛奶和奶酪中存在欧夹竹桃苷来确诊。我们的结果证实了夹竹桃对牛的高毒性，并首次报告了其在牛奶和奶制品中的转移，这对消费者构成了潜在风险。
