 |
|
|
|
Year 2014 - Volume 34, Number 11
|
|
Lead poisoning in cattle and chickens in the state of Pará, Brazil, 34(11):1077-1080
|
ABSTRACT.- Barbosa J.D., Bomjardim H.A., Campos K.F., Duarte M.D., Bezerra Júnior P.S., Gava A., Salvarani F.M. & Oliveira C.M.C. 2014. Lead poisoning in cattle and chickens in the state of Pará, Brazil. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 34(11):1077-1080. Instituto de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Pará, Campus Castanhal, Rodovia BR-316 Km 61, Saudade, Castanhal, PA 68740-970, Brazil. E-mail: diomedes@ufpa.br
The present study describes the occurrence of lead poisoning in cattle and chickens in Pará, Brazil. In a lot composed of 80 calves from a dairy herd, 10 animals became sick and nine died, but one animal recovered after being removed from the paddock. Upon inspection of this paddock, the presence of truck batteries used to store energy captured by solar panels was found. The clinical signs observed in calves included difficult breathing, nasal discharge, excessive salivation, corneal opacity, pushing of the head against objects and recumbency. The chickens had decreased oviposition and produced eggs with thin or malformed shells. The necropsy findings of the cattle, as well as the histopathological changes observed, were of little significance except for one animal that showed mild astrocytosis histopathology in the cerebral cortex. In one of the chickens, renal histopathology showed mild multifocal acute tubular necrosis. The mean lead concentrations in the livers and kidneys of the cattle were 93.91mg/kg and 209.76mg/kg, respectively, and the mean concentration detected in chicken livers was 105.02mg/kg. It was concluded that the source of lead poisoning in these calves and chickens were the truck battery plates, which were within reach of the animals. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
