Clinicopathologic, histologic, and toxicologic findings in 70 cats inadvertently exposed to pet food contaminated with melamine and cyanuric acid

Abstract

In cats unintentionally fed pet food contaminated with melamine and cyanuric acid, the most consistent clinical and pathologic abnormalities were associated with the urinary tract, specifically tubular necrosis and crystalluria.

Melamine Toxicity and the Kidney

“…22 In chronic cases, lymphoplasmacytic or granulomatous tubulointerstitial inflammation and fibrosis were found and the associated crystals were larger. 23,24 This toxicity was not limited to cats. Similar nephrotoxicity was observed when a combination of melamine and cyanuric acid was given to fish and pigs.…”

Effect of melamine on potassium currents in rat hippocampal CA1 neurons

“…The main adverse effects shown in studies on animals were kidney related, including renal calculi, renal tubular necrosis, crystalluria, and haematuria (Cianciolo et al, 2008;Dobson et al, 2008). Furthermore, toxicity included reduced body weight, high blood pressure, epithelial hyperplasia of the urinary bladder and so on (Langman et al, 2009;Xie et al, 2009).…”

Melamine Toxicity

“…The feed was recalled and destroyed [2]. The pet food tested from this outbreak contained melamine and cyanuric acid [33,34]. The amounts of melamine found in some tested food ranged from 10 to 3,200 ppm (1 ppm is equivalent to 1 mg/kg food source); animals received an estimated dose of 360 to 430 mg kg −1 day −1 from the contaminated food [11,33].…”

“…The amounts of melamine found in some tested food ranged from 10 to 3,200 ppm (1 ppm is equivalent to 1 mg/kg food source); animals received an estimated dose of 360 to 430 mg kg −1 day −1 from the contaminated food [11,33]. Histological investigations showed that melamine and cyanuric acid were present in the tissues of animals fed these products [1,33,34]. Stones in the distal tubules of affected animals also contained melamine and cyanuric acid.…”