Kennedy Aideen, Brennan Audrey, Mannion Celine, Sheehan Maresa
Kilkenny Regional Veterinary Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Kilkenny, Ireland.
Hawkfield Veterinary Clinic, Co. Kildare, Hawkfield, Newbridge, Ireland.
Ir Vet J. 2021 Mar 24;74(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s13620-021-00188-0.
Cyanide is one of the most rapidly acting toxins affecting cattle, with poisoning typically occurring following ingestion of cyanogenic plants. Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), is one such potentially toxic cyanogenic plant. This case report details fatalities in an Irish herd following the ingestion of laurel and aims to raise awareness of the potential risk that access to laurel hedges poses to farm animals.
Over a twelve-day period, the death occurred of 36 dairy-cross weanlings; the majority (22 weanlings) died over a two-day period. Two days following entry to a field bounded by a laurel hedge, the weanlings displayed signs of lethargy and profuse green diarrhoea. In the majority of animals there was a limited response to treatment with antimicrobials, vitamin B complex and fluid therapy. Recumbency and death ensued. Cyanosis was noted terminally. Two weanlings were submitted for post mortem examination. Laurel leaves were identified in the rumen contents of one weanling. Post mortem findings and additional test results on cohort animals suggested a number of pathological processes may have been involved in the animals, possibly complicating/exacerbating the effects of laurel ingestion. However, cyanide was considered a factor in a least some of the casualties and arrangements were made to test for cyanide on blood samples from a random selection of seven cohort animals. Although collected one week after exposure to the laurel hedge, toxic cyanide levels were recorded in a sample from one animal, which subsequently died.
The large fatality rate serves as a timely reminder to include plant poisoning as a differential diagnosis when dealing with large numbers of rapid fatalities. Failure to thoroughly examine rumen contents and collect a detailed history in this case, could easily have allowed death to be attributed to other causes and the involvement of cyanide toxicity to be missed. In cases of individual or group fatalities, history is invaluable and recent entry to new grazing areas or any potential diet change or access to garden plants should be thoroughly investigated.
氰化物是作用于牛的起效最快的毒素之一，中毒通常发生在摄入含氰植物之后。月桂（桂樱）就是这样一种具有潜在毒性的含氰植物。本病例报告详细介绍了爱尔兰一群牛因摄入月桂而死亡的情况，旨在提高人们对月桂树篱对农场动物构成的潜在风险的认识。
在12天的时间里，36头杂交断奶乳牛死亡；其中大多数（22头断奶乳牛）在两天内死亡。进入一片有月桂树篱环绕的田地两天后，断奶乳牛出现嗜睡和大量绿色腹泻的症状。大多数动物对抗生素、复合维生素B和液体疗法的治疗反应有限。随后出现卧地不起并死亡。临终时发现有发绀现象。对两头断奶乳牛进行了尸检。在一头断奶乳牛的瘤胃内容物中发现了月桂叶。对同群动物的尸检结果和其他检测结果表明，这些动物可能涉及多种病理过程，这可能使月桂摄入的影响复杂化/加剧。然而，氰化物被认为至少是部分死亡的一个因素，并安排对随机挑选的7头同群动物的血液样本进行氰化物检测。尽管在接触月桂树篱一周后采集样本，但在一头随后死亡的动物的样本中记录到了有毒的氰化物水平。
高死亡率适时提醒人们，在处理大量快速死亡病例时，应将植物中毒作为鉴别诊断的一项内容。在本病例中，若未彻底检查瘤胃内容物并收集详细病史，很容易将死亡归因于其他原因，从而漏诊氰化物中毒。在个体或群体死亡的病例中，病史非常重要，应彻底调查近期进入新的放牧区域或任何潜在的饮食变化或接触园林植物的情况。
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