Epidemiological study (2006-2012) on the poisoning of small animals by human and veterinary drugs.

A retrospective study was conducted on the exposure of dogs and cats to drugs, reported to the Poison Control Centre of Milan (Centro Antiveleni di Milano (CAV)) between January 2006 and December 2012. Calls related to drugs for human use and veterinary drugs accounted for 23.7 per cent of total inquiries (1415) received by CAV and mostly involved dogs (70 per cent of enquiries). Exposure to drugs for human use accounted for 79 per cent of cases involving dogs, whereas veterinary drugs were the main culprit (77 per cent) in the case of cats. The most common class of drugs for human use proved to be CNS drugs (26.8 per cent), followed by NSAIDs (19.6 per cent) and cardiovascular and endocrine drugs (12.9 per cent each). The majority of calls (95.2 per cent) related to veterinary drugs involved dogs and cats exposed to parasiticides. The outcome was reported in only 58.2 per cent of cases, and fatal poisoning accounted for 8.7 per cent of these cases. Epidemiological data from this Italian survey provide useful information on animal exposure to drugs. The knowledge of agents involved in poisoning episodes can help veterinarians make the correct diagnosis and institute preventive measures to possibly reduce animal exposure to drugs.

Plant poisoning in domestic animals: epidemiological data from an Italian survey (2000-2011).

An Italian epidemiological study based on the human Poison Control Centre of Milan (Centro Antiveleni di Milano (CAV)) data related to domestic animal poisoning by exposure to plants, was carried out in collaboration with the Veterinary Toxicology Section of the University of Milan. It encompasses a 12-year period, from the beginning of 2000 to the end of 2011. Calls related to toxic plants accounted for 5.7 per cent of total inquiries (2150) received by CAV. The dog was the most commonly poisoned species (61.8 per cent of calls) followed by the cat (26 per cent). Little information was recorded for other species. Most exposures (73.8 per cent) resulted in mild to moderate clinical signs. The outcome was reported in only 53.7 per cent of cases, and fatal poisoning accounted for 10.6 per cent of these cases. Glycoside, alkaloid, oxalate, toxalbumin, saponin, terpene and terpenoid-containing plants were recorded and found to be responsible for intoxication. Cycas revoluta, Euphorbia pulcherrima, Hydrangea macrophylla, Nerium oleander, Rhododendron species and Prunus species were the plants most frequently involved. Epidemiological data from this Italian survey provide useful information on animal exposure to plants and confirm the importance of plants as causative agents of animal poisoning.

Animal poisoning in Italy: 10 years of epidemiological data from the Poison Control Centre of Milan.

From 2000 to 2010, the Poison Control Centre of Milan (CAV), in collaboration with the University of Milan, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Sciences and Technologies for Food Safety, Toxicology Section, collected epidemiological information related to animal poisoning and classified it in an organised and computerised data bank. Data recorded were predominantly related to small animals and to some extent to horses, ruminants and other food-production animals. Few calls were registered involving exotics and no information was recorded on wildlife. The dog was reported to be the most common species involved in animal poisoning, and pesticides constituted the primary group of toxicants. In the case of pets, 'drugs' including veterinary parasiticide and drugs for human use constituted the second class of toxicants responsible for poisoning followed by household products, plants, zootoxins and metals. With regard to horses and farm animals, the second group consisted of phytotoxins, even if only episodically. In Italy, published data on this subject are scarce but this information is crucial for better management of the poisoning of domestic animals in an effort to reduce mortality.

[Italian Program for Surveillance of Acute Pesticide-Related Illnesses: cases identified in 2005]. / Sistema di Sorveglianza delle Intossicazioni Acute da Fitosanitari: la casistica rilevata nel 2005.

In 2005, the Italian System for Surveillance of Acute Pesticide-Related Illnesses (SIAF) identified 625 cases, among which 520 unintentionally exposed. The majority of these subjects were men (75%) and aged 26-65 years (65%). About 63% of all exposures occurred at work. Severity for these illnesses was low for 94% and moderate for 5%. Four cases were classified as illnesses of high severity. Some 70% of all the reported exposures occurred between May and September. The active ingredients responsible for the largest number of cases were: glyphosate (n. 56), copper sulphate (n. 55), methomyl (n. = 52), metam-sodium (n. 24). Three episodes of collective environmental exposure to soil fumigants involving 23 subjects were also detected.

[Pesticide poisoning referred to the Poison Center of Milan in 1995-1998]. / Intossicazioni da prodotti antiparassitari rilevate dal Centro Antiveleni di Milano nel periodo 1995-1998.

From 1995 through 1998 the Poison Control Centre of Milan identified 7594 cases of suspected or confirmed cases of acute pesticide poisoning. Domestic use products accounted for 4483 (59%) of the cases. Of these, 84% occurred at home and 48% in children under five. The most frequently reported domestic use products were pyrethrins/pyrethroids (26%), fertilizers (19%) and camphor/naphthalene (12%). Of 3111 cases (41%) due to agricultural products, 10% were children under five and 69% were males. Half of the poisonings from agricultural products occurred at home, the remainder at workplace. The products most frequently reported were organophosphates (26%), pyrethrins/pyrethroids (9%), and carbamates (9%). These preliminary data indicate the importance of implementing prevention programs to reduce pesticide poisonings with particular reference to young children.

[National surveillance system for acute poisoning caused by pesticides]. / Piano di sorveglianza nazionale per la rilevazione delle intossicazioni acute da antiparassitari.

In the present paper is presented the surveillance system for pesticide-related illnesses proposed by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Through the collaboration of local or regional poison control centres and local health departments with public hospitals and emergency departments, cases of acute pesticide-related illnesses among persons seeking health care will be registered according to standard procedures. Data collected locally will be transmitted to the Istituto Superiore di Sanità for registration and evaluation of the association between symptoms and type of exposure and for severity of illnesses related to pesticide exposure. These data will be analysed at regular intervals in order to estimate the magnitude of the problem of acute pesticide-related illnesses in Italy and to identify priority areas for implementing public health prevention and intervention programs.