Lead intoxication in dogs: risk assessment of feeding dogs trimmings of lead-shot game.

BACKGROUND: Expanding lead-based bullets, commonly used for hunting of big game, produce a scattering of lead particles in the carcass around the wound channel. Trimmings around this channel, which are sometimes fed to dogs, may contain lead particles. The aim of this study was to assess potential health effects of feeding dogs such trimmings. RESULTS: Lead ingestion most commonly causes gastrointestinal and neurological clinical signs, although renal, skeletal, haematological, cardiovascular and biochemical effects have also been reported. Experimental data indicate that a daily dose of around 1 mg lead as lead acetate/kg body weight for ten days may be considered as a Lowest Observed Effect Level in dogs. Acute toxicity documentation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates 300 mg/kg body weight as the lowest dose of lead acetate causing death in dogs after oral ingestion. Our assessment suggests that dogs fed trimmings of lead-shot game may be affected by the amounts of lead present, and that even deadly exposure could occasionally occur. The intestinal absorption of lead from bullets was assumed to be 10-80 % of that of lead acetate, reflecting both the variability in particle size and uncertainty about the bioavailability of metallic lead in dogs. CONCLUSIONS: Despite data gaps, this study indicates that feeding dogs trimmings of lead-shot game may represent a risk of lead intoxication. More research is needed to assess the exact consequences, if lead-based bullets are still to be used. Meanwhile, we recommend that trimmings close to the wound channel should be made inaccessible to dogs, as well as to other domestic or wild animals.

Effects of dietary deoxynivalenol or ochratoxin A on performance and selected health indices in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

Post-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) were fed with standard feed added one of five concentrations of either pure deoxynivalenol (DON; 0.5-6 mg/kg) or pure ochratoxin A (OTA; 0.2-2.4 mg/kg), or no added toxins for up to 8 weeks. Performance effects (feed intake, feed efficiency, gain, length and condition factor), various clinical biochemical parameters, packed cell volume and vaccination response against Aeromonas salmonicidae were all inversely correlated with DON dose, whereas relative liver weight increased with DON dose. In fish fed OTA, however, the effects at the doses tested were rather small. We observed no effects of OTA exposure on performance parameters, but some clinical biochemical parameters tended to increase with OTA dose primarily at 3 weeks, and compared with controls OTA exposure caused increased mRNA expression of two immune markers in the spleen. No liver histopathological effects were found from DON or OTA exposure. For DON, we derived a BMDL20 of 0.3 mg/kg feed for reduced total protein in plasma, a BMDL5 of 0.5 mg/kg feed for reduced condition factor, and a NOAEL of 1 mg/kg feed for DON. For OTA, a BMDL or NOAEL could not be derived (>2.4 mg/kg).

Tissue distribution and elimination of deoxynivalenol and ochratoxin A in dietary-exposed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

Post-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) were fed standard feed with added 2 or 6 mg kg-1 pure deoxynivalenol (DON), 0.8 or 2.4 mg kg-1 pure ochratoxin A (OTA), or no added toxins for up to 8 weeks. The experiments were performed in duplicate tanks with 25 fish each per diet group, and the feed was given for three 2-h periods per day. After 3, 6 and 8 weeks, 10 fish from each diet group were sampled. In the following hours after the last feeding at 8 weeks, toxin elimination was studied by sampling three fish per diet group at five time points. Analysis of DON and OTA in fish tissues and plasma was conducted by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-pressure liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection, respectively. DON was distributed to the liver, kidney, plasma, muscle, skin and brain, and the concentrations in liver and muscle increased significantly from 3 to 8 weeks of exposure to the high-DON diet. After the last feeding at 8 weeks, DON concentration in liver reached a maximum at 1 h and decreased thereafter with a half-life (t1/2) of 6.2 h. DON concentration in muscle reached a maximum at 6 h and was then eliminated with a t1/2 = 16.5 h. OTA was mainly found in liver and kidney, and the concentration in liver decreased significantly from 3 to 8 weeks in the high-OTA group. OTA was eliminated faster than DON from various tissues. By using Norwegian food consumption data and kinetic findings in this study, we predicted the human exposure to DON and OTA from fish products through carryover from the feed. Following a comparison with tolerable daily intakes, we found the risk to human health from the consumption of salmon-fed diets containing maximum recommended levels of these toxins to be negligible.

Survival of Salmonella on basil plants and in pesto.

Leafy greens, including fresh herbs, have repeatedly been involved in outbreaks of foodborne disease. Although much effort has been put into studying leafy greens and products such as head lettuce and baby leaves, less is known about fresh leafy herbs, such as basil. The goal of this study was to investigate the survival of Salmonella on basil plants and in pesto. A mix of three Salmonella strains (Reading, Newport, and Typhimurium) was inoculated onto basil leaves and pesto and survived during the experimental period. Whereas the mix of Salmonella survived in pesto stored at 4°C for 4 days, Salmonella was recovered from inoculated leaves for up to 18 days at 20 to 22°C. Although the steady decline of Salmonella on leaves and in pesto suggests a lack of growth, it appears that pesto is a hostile environment for Salmonella because the rate of decline in pesto was faster (0.29 log CFU/g/day) than on leaves (0.11 log CFU/g/day). These findings suggest that the dilution of contaminated ingredients and the bactericidal effect of the pesto environment helped to further reduce the level of enteric organisms during storage, which may have applications for food safety.

Occurrence of Escherichia coli, Campylobcter, Salmonella and Shiga-Toxin Producing E. coli in Norwegian Primary Strawberry Production.

The aim of this study was to investigate the bacteriological quality of strawberries at harvest and to study risk factors such as irrigation water, soil and picker's hand cleanliness. Four farms were visited during the harvest season in 2012. Samples of strawberries, irrigation water, soil and hand swabs were collected and analyzed for E. coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella and STEC Although fecal indicators and pathogens were found in environmental samples, only one of 80 samples of strawberries was positive for E. coli (1.0 log10 cfu/g) and pathogens were not detected in any of the strawberry samples. The water samples from all irrigation sources were contaminated with E. coli in numbers ranging from 0 to 3.3 log10 cfu/g. Campylobacter (8/16 samples) and Salmonella (1/16 samples) were isolated from samples with high numbers of E. coli. The water samples collected from a lake had lower numbers of E. coli than the samples from rivers and a stream. The present study indicated continuous background contamination in the primary production environment. Although the background contamination was not reflected on the strawberries tested here, the results must be interpreted with caution due to the limited number of samples.

Listeriosis in Norway 1977-2003.

In Europe, the incidence of invasive listeriosis has increased substantially during the last decades. We here present data from 289 listeriosis cases reported in Norway during the period 1977-2003, of which 12 cases were associated with 2 outbreaks and 39 cases were pregnancy-related. Medical records were obtained from 209 cases with listeriosis reported in 1977-2000. While the incidence of pregnancy-related listeriosis has remained stable at an average rate of 34 per million pregnant women per y during the period, the incidence of sporadic, non-pregnancy-related cases has increased from 1.1 to 3.7 per million per y. The present Norwegian incidence of reported cases is lower than in Denmark, but the case fatality rate is higher, indicating a possible under-reporting of mild listeriosis cases in Norway. We discuss how preventive measures, case identification and surveillance may have influenced listeriosis incidence in Norway.