Hepatotoxicosis in dogs consuming a diet of camel meat contaminated with indospicine

• Published in: Australian veterinary journal Vol. 89; no. 3; pp. 95 - 100
• Main Authors: FitzGerald, LM, Fletcher, MT, Paul, AEH, Mansfield, CS, O'Hara, AJ
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne, Australia Blackwell Publishing Asia 01-03-2011
• Subjects: Alanine Transaminase - blood; Animal Feed; Animals; camel meat; Camelus; Dog Diseases - blood; Dog Diseases - etiology; Dogs; Food Contamination - analysis; hepatotoxicosis; Indigofera spp; indospicine; Liver Diseases - blood; Liver Diseases - etiology; Meat - adverse effects; Norleucine - analogs & derivatives; Norleucine - blood; Norleucine - poisoning; pet food toxicity
• ISSN: 0005-0423; 1751-0813
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2010.00684.x

Background  Four dogs presented with clinical signs of severe hepatic disease after consuming a commercial camel meat diet.
Methods  Laboratory investigation revealed evidence of severe liver disease, including markedly increased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity and total bilirubin concentration, and prolonged clotting times.
Results  Two dogs deteriorated despite supportive therapy and were euthanased. Histologically, both livers appeared similar, with the main lesion being extensive periacinar necrosis and haemorrhage. Indospicine, a toxic amino acid of plant origin, was detected in the serum and/or plasma from all four dogs, as well as in tissues of a dog that was necropsied and in a sample of the camel meat fed to this animal. Serum biochemistry tests using blood samples collected from 15 additional dogs identified as having eaten the diet detected indospicine was in the serum of 14 and 3 had increased ALT activity. One of the latter dogs subsequently developed clinical signs of severe liver disease and was euthanased.
Conclusion  To the authors' knowledge, this is the first published report of the detection of indospicine residues in camel meat and the occurrence of severe, sometimes fatal, liver disease in dogs that consumed this contaminated meat.