Pyrogallol Poisoning of Pigeons Caused by Acorns

Abstract

Green acorns are known to contain high concentrations of pyrogallol. Here, we describe an extended case report of two pigeons found dead with a filled muscular stomach of acorns. The following pathologic findings were observed: irritation of mucosal membranes in the gastrointestinal tract, blackish discolored chyme, hyperemic organs, and general edemas. The muscular stomach (ventriculus) was filled with pieces of acorns, and the abdominal cavity contained bloody aqueous fluid. In order to uncover the cause of death, we determined pyrogallol in liver and kidney of one dead pigeon and in ventriculus contents of both pigeons by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. A further aim of our study was to compare pathologic findings and pyrogallol concentrations in kidney, liver, and ventriculus of poisoned pigeons with those of healthy pigeons. The pyrogallol concentrations in samples of dead pigeons were 16-1200-fold higher than in control animals fed grass and maize-corn. Altogether, the acorn-filled ventriculus, the pathologic findings, the well nourished state, and the high pyrogallol concentrations in the dead pigeons suggest an acute pyrogallol poisoning by acorn. With respect to controls, we conclude that pyrogallol concentrations of 6 ng/g of kidney, 8 ng/g of liver, and 2 ng/g of gastric content do not affect the health of pigeons.

Negative effects of acorns on the wood mouse Apodemus speciosus

“…Negative nitrogen balances have been reported only by Short (1976) in fox squirrels to which acorns were fed. Contrary to this finding, lethal damage, such as gastrointestinal lesions, kidney failure, and steep reduction in body weight, has been reported in livestock (Fowler and Richards 1965;Basden and Dalvi 1987) and avian species (Dixon et al 1997;Johnson et al 1993;Meiser et al 2000). These interspecific differences in response of mammals to acorn feeding may be related to proline-rich proteins (PRPs), which are produced in saliva by some mammalian species.…”

“…Mammalian herbivores producing PRPs are expected not to suffer heavy damage from natural diets containing tannins, unlike animals without PRPs (Robbins et al 1991;Juntheikki 1996). Cattle, sheep, and avian species, which suffer acorn poisoning (Fowler and Richards 1965;Johnson et al 1993;Dixon et al 1997; Meiser et al 2000), do not produce PRPs. The gray squirrel and fox squirrel have not been investigated for the production of PRPs.…”

“…Tannins, a diverse group of water-soluble phenolics, are thought to be provide a defense against herbivory by reducing protein digestibility (Zucker 1983;Hagerman and Klucher 1986;Mehansho et al 1987). They are also potential toxins that cause direct detrimental effects to gastrointestinal mucosa and epithelia, kidney and liver failure, intrinsic nitrogen loss, and disturbance of sodium balance (Fowler and Richards 1965;Glick and Joslyn 1970;Freeland et al 1985;Robbins et al 1987; Thomas et al 1988;Dietz et al 1994;Dearing 1997a;Meiser et al 2000). In fact, 3% quebracho (a type of condensed tannins) added to the control diet causes a significant de-crease of survival rate of the prairie vole Microtus ochrogaster (Lindroth and Batzli 1984), and similar results are reported in other rodents (rat, Joslyn and Glick 1968;hamster, Mehansho et al 1984;mouse, Freeland et al 1985; the meadow vole Microtus pennsylvanicus, Dietz et al 1994).…”

Contact sensitizing potential of pyrogallol and 5-amino-o-cresol in female BALB/c mice

“…Skin irritation is defined as a locally arising and non-immunogenic inflammatory reaction, which appears shortly after stimulation and usually disappears in a few days (Harvell et al, 1995). As an acid, PYR has been shown to cause irritation of mucosal membranes in the gastrointestinal tract (Meiser et al, 2000; Gosselin et al, 1981). Therefore, the acidic nature of PYR may be responsible for its irritant effects.…”

Interspecific Differences in Tannin Intakes of Forest-Dwelling Rodents in the Wild Revealed by a new Method Using Fecal Proline Content

“…Tannins are a widespread group of PSMs that are broadly distributed in various plant parts (Waterman and Mole 1994). Ingesting tannins, a diverse group of watersoluble phenolics with high affinity for proteins, may have negative effects on herbivores, such as reduction in protein digestibility (Robbins et al 1987;Chung-MacCoubrey et al 1997;Shimada and Saitoh 2003), damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa and epithelium (Meiser et al 2000), or endogenous nitrogen loss (Shimada and Saitoh 2003).…”