A Probable Fatal Case of Oleander (Nerium oleander) Poisoning on a Cattle Farm: A New Method of Detection and Quantification of the Oleandrin Toxin in Rumen

Abstract

Oleander (Nerium oleander) is an ornamental plant common in tropical and sub-tropical regions that is becoming increasingly widespread, even in temperate regions. Oleander poisoning may occur in animals and humans. The main active components contained in the plant are cardiac glycosides belonging to the class of cardenolides that are toxic to many species, from human to insects. This work describes a case of oleander poisoning that occurred on a small cattle farm and resulted in the fatality of all six resident animals. Furthermore, the investigation of the poisonous agent is described, with particular focus on the characterization of the oleandrin toxin that was recovered from the forage and rumen contents. The innovation of this study is the first description of the detection and quantification of the oleandrin toxin by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) in rumen.

Identification of poisonous plants and their solutions for traditional livestock in Bojonegoro District, East Java, Indonesia

“…Recently, a new glycoside compound called flavone Cglycoside from lophatheri has also been discovered which may also be equally toxic (Fan et al 2015). This is supported by the studies of Taheri et al (2013) and Rubini et al (2019) which stated that glycosides from Nerium oleander (cardiac glycosides) caused fatal cases in rabbits and cattle. The cardiac glycosides work by triggering electrolyte disturbances and inhibiting Na+/K+-ATPase which causes electrical conductivity in the body so that it may disturb the body and result in toxicity (Rubini et al 2019).…”

Phytotoxicological study of selected poisonous plants from Azad Jammu & Kashmir

“…It has been reported that plant poisoning occurs more often accidentally or under water deficit conditions (drought), fire, overstocking and trample of the grazing land [ 52 ]. Accidental poisoning in humans might occur because of contaminated food by plant poisoning and confusing poisonous with edible plants [ 15 , 53 , 54 ], medicinal use of toxic plants [ 55 ], fatal cases most commonly occur without diagnosis [ 56 ] or documentation [ 57 ]. Even the smaller quantity of poisonous plants poses deleterious effects in the body of any animal [ 58 ] and could be lethal because they contain powerful toxic ingredients including phytochemicals [ 29 , 30 ].…”

Outbreak of Oleander (Nerium oleander) Poisoning in Dairy Cattle: Clinical and Food Safety Implications

“…Finally, it should be underlined that the diagnosis of oleander intoxication derives from the combination of clinical/pathological and analytical findings. In the absence of an accurate clinical examination, the detection of plant parts (e.g., leaves) or toxic components in the rumen is not sufficient [15].…”

“…However, accidental poisonings have been described, particularly in children, where one leaf can be lethal [4,6]. Accidental poisonings have been frequently described in different animal species [8][9][10], including cattle [11][12][13][14][15]. Although oleander is unpalatable due to a bitter and pungent taste [16], grazing animals may ingest parts of the shrub in arid areas or during the dry season when there is scarcity of fodder.…”