Acute selenium toxicosis in polo ponies.
Abstract: Just prior to an international polo event, 21 horses from one team exhibited clinical signs of central nervous system disturbance, hyperexcitability, sweating, ataxia, tachycardia, dyspnea, pyrexia, and rapid death. The suspected cause of this peracute onset of illness and death included intentional contamination of feed or iatrogenic administration of performance-enhancing drugs resulting in a severe adverse reaction. Six horses were submitted to the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory for necropsy and toxicological examination. The clinical signs and sudden death, the similarity to earlier work by the lead author of selenium toxicosis in calves, as well as published reports, prompted investigators to focus on selenium testing. Sixty-four hours following receipt, the laboratory detected toxic selenium concentrations in the tissues of these animals. Following further investigation of the case by regulatory officials, it was determined that all affected horses had received an intravenous injection of a compounded "vitamin/mineral" supplement just prior to the onset of signs. The compounded supplement contained toxic levels of selenium. The present report illustrates the in-depth laboratory investigation of the cause of acute death in 6 polo ponies due to selenium toxicosis. In addition to solving this high profile case, the toxic levels of selenium found in livers (6.13 ± 0.31 mg/kg wet weight), kidneys (6.25 ± 0.3 mg/kg wet weight), and sera (1.50 ± 0.11 µg/ml) of these affected animals may provide important diagnostic criteria for future interpretations of selenium concentrations in tissues of horses.
© 2011 The Author(s)
Publication Date: 2011-09-13 PubMed ID: 21908304DOI: 10.1177/1040638711404142Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research article deals with the investigation of the sudden death of 21 polo ponies due to acute selenium toxicosis caused by the administration of a toxic “vitamin/mineral” supplement containing high levels of selenium just before an international polo event.
Study Overview and Key Findings
- The research begins with the inexplicable death of 21 polo horses from one team just before an international polo event. The horses exhibited signs of hyperactivity, nervous system disturbances, excessive sweating, tachycardia, breathing difficulties, fever, and rapid death.
- Initial suspicion centered on intentional feed contamination or an adverse reaction to performance-enhancing drugs. Consequently, six horses were sent to the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory for autopsy and toxicological testing.
- The similarities of the symptoms with earlier selenium toxicosis studies in calves prompted the researchers to focus on selenium testing. The lab detected toxic selenium concentrations in the examined tissues within 64 hours of receipt.
- Further investigation revealed that all affected horses had been injected with a compounded “vitamin/mineral” supplement containing toxic levels of selenium immediately before the emergence of symptoms.
- The selenium concentrations in the liver, kidneys, and serum of the affected horses were found to be exceptionally high, which provided important diagnostic criteria for interpreting selenium concentrations in horse tissues in the future.
Implications and Significance of The Study
- This case study is significant as it elucidates the serious health risks polo horses face from being administered performance-enhancing drugs or vitamin/mineral supplements.
- The research helped uncover the lethal effect of selenium toxicosis in horses, a previously less-explored area.
- The report brings to light the fact that readily available supplements administered to enhance their performance or overall health can prove fatal if they contain toxic elements.
- The findings offer key diagnostic markers that can be used in future cases where selenium toxicosis is suspected in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Desta B, Maldonado G, Reid H, Puschner B, Maxwell J, Agasan A, Humphreys L, Holt T.
(2011).
Acute selenium toxicosis in polo ponies.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 23(3), 623-628.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638711404142 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, PO Box 458006, 2700 N John Young Parkway, Kissimmee, FL 34745-8006, USA. belainesh.desta@freshfromflorida.com
MeSH Terms
- Acute Disease
- Animals
- Calcinosis / veterinary
- Death, Sudden / etiology
- Death, Sudden / pathology
- Death, Sudden / veterinary
- Heart
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Muscle, Skeletal / pathology
- Myocardium / pathology
- Selenium / poisoning
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Schomburg L. Selenium Deficiency Due to Diet, Pregnancy, Severe Illness, or COVID-19-A Preventable Trigger for Autoimmune Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2021 Aug 8;22(16).
- Stolwijk JM, Garje R, Sieren JC, Buettner GR, Zakharia Y. Understanding the Redox Biology of Selenium in the Search of Targeted Cancer Therapies. Antioxidants (Basel) 2020 May 13;9(5).
- Schofield K. The Metal Neurotoxins: An Important Role in Current Human Neural Epidemics?. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2017 Dec 5;14(12).
- Davidson G. Veterinary Compounding: Regulation, Challenges, and Resources. Pharmaceutics 2017 Jan 10;9(1).
- Toohey JI, Cooper AJ. Thiosulfoxide (sulfane) sulfur: new chemistry and new regulatory roles in biology. Molecules 2014 Aug 21;19(8):12789-813.
- Paßlack N, Mainzer B, Lahrssen-Wiederholt M, Schafft H, Palavinskas R, Breithaupt A, Neumann K, Zentek J. Concentrations of strontium, barium, cadmium, copper, zinc, manganese, chromium, antimony, selenium and lead in the equine liver and kidneys. Springerplus 2014;3:343.
- Khor KH, Campbell F, Rathbone MJ, Greer RM, Mills PC. Acceptability and compliance of atenolol tablet, compounded paste and compounded suspension prescribed to healthy cats*. J Feline Med Surg 2012 Feb;14(2):99-106.
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