A case of diquat poisoning in pigs

Z Siroka, M Svoboda, Z Svobodova and I Nagl
Additional contact information
Z Siroka: Department of Animal Protection, Welfare and Behaviour, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Czech Republic
M Svoboda: Department of Animal Protection, Welfare and Behaviour, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Czech Republic
Z Svobodova: Department of Animal Protection, Welfare and Behaviour, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Czech Republic
I Nagl: Department of Pathology and Parasitology, State Veterinary Institute Praha, Czech Republic

Veterinární medicína, 2019, vol. 64, issue 11, 505-511

Abstract: Diquat is a bipyridyl compound which belongs to the group of herbicides. Its activity is based on the liberation of the superoxide anion radical and, subsequently, hydrogen peroxide, leading to tissue destruction by oxidative stress. Acute poisoning is associated with high mortality within several hours to a few days. The reported case of poisoning occurred on a commercial farm. The fattening pigs of the Landrace and Large White breeds were affected. The pigs were kept on a deep litter. Reglone (active ingredient diquat dibromide, 200 g/l) was used on the farm fields to desiccate the clover crop. The dry clover straw was harvested and stored for approximately a month and then used as a litter. In total, 50 pigs were affected. The onset of the poisoning was very fast. Within eight hours after the litter administration, 20 animals died. The only clinical sign seen was severe haemorrhagic dermatitis. The pathological examination revealed acute superficial haemorrhagic dermatitis on the belly, the snout and the ears of the affected pigs. Hyperaemia of the tonsils, pharynx and oesophagus was diagnosed, as well as a pronounced hyperaemia of the stomach fundus. In the distal part of the trachea, there was a dense, white foam. The lungs were congested, with focal emphysema. The liver was slightly hyperaemic. The histological examination revealed a massive haemostasis in liver and diffuse acute polymorphonuclear hepatitis. The other organs were without changes. The examination revealed acute poisoning caused by the large body surface areas contacting with a toxic substance. The pigs that survived were immediately removed to a non-contaminated area. The changes on their skin were not so extensive compared to the dead ones. Within 5-7 days after the exposure to diquat, the skin lesions healed.

Keywords: herbicide; bipyridyl derivates; desiccant; haemorrhagic dermatitis; oxidative stress; Reglone (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://vetmed.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/87/2019-VETMED.html (text/html)
http://vetmed.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/87/2019-VETMED.pdf (application/pdf)
free of charge

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:caa:jnlvet:v:64:y:2019:i:11:id:87-2019-vetmed

DOI: 10.17221/87/2019-VETMED

Access Statistics for this article

Veterinární medicína is currently edited by Ing. Helena Smolová Ph.D.

More articles in Veterinární medicína from Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Ivo Andrle ().