Clinical features of blister beetle poisoning in equids: 70 cases (1983-1996).
Abstract: To document clinical signs and gross pathologic changes associated with naturally acquired cantharidiasis (blister beetle poisoning) in equids. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 70 equids with laboratory-confirmed blister beetle poisoning. Methods: Medical records were reviewed to obtain history, physical examination findings, feeding practices, and diagnostic test and necropsy results. Results: 32 horses and 2 donkeys died from exposure to cantharidin, whereas 36 horses survived. Diet content varied, but alfalfa hay was the common component. Onset of signs of disease was rapid. Most equids had signs of gastrointestinal tract distress. Six horses had nonspecific neurologic signs. All equids dying from cantharidiasis were in shock terminally, with duration of clinical signs ranging from 3 to 18 hours. Six horses that died had no gross lesions, whereas 14 had mild to moderate erythema of gastric, small intestinal, or colonic mucosa. Only 2 horses had gastric or duodenal ulceration, and 2 had hemorrhage of the urinary bladder mucosa. One horse had cardiac muscle necrosis. Clinicopathologic data available on 10 horses included hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, and azotemia. Cantharidin concentrations in urine or pooled gastric-cecal contents did not always correlate with severity of disease. Conclusions: Blister beetle poisoning is not universally fatal in equids. Clinical signs are related to the amount of cantharidin ingested. Every horse that survived was treated aggressively. In fatal poisonings, gross lesions may be minimal or inapparent, and diagnosis must be confirmed by chemical detection of cantharidin in urine, blood, or stomach or cecal contents.
Publication Date: 1997-10-31 PubMed ID: 9343547
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- Journal Article
- Case Reports
- Clinical Examination
- Clinical Pathology
- Clinical Signs
- Clinical Study
- Clinical Symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Management
- Disease Treatment
- Equids
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Necropsy
- Poisoning
- Retrospective Study
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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This study examines the symptoms and pathological changes in horses and donkeys that have been naturally poisoned by blister beetles, offering evidence that not all cases are fatal and suggesting a correlation between the severity of illness and the amount of poison ingested.
Research Objectives and Methods
- The researchers aimed to detail the signs, symptoms and pathological changes associated with cantharidiasis, also known as blister beetle poisoning, in horses and donkeys.
- This was a retrospective study that involved the analysis of medical records from 70 different equids confirmed to have been poisoned by blister beetles.
- The records provided data on history, physical examination findings, feeding practices, and results from both diagnostic tests and necropsies.
Results of the Study
- Out of the 70 equids in the study, 32 horses and two donkeys died from the exposure to cantharidin, the toxin produced by blister beetles. The remainder of the horses survived the poisoning.
- All of them had varied diets but alfalfa hay was a common component in all their meals.
Most of the poisoned equids showed rapid signs of disease, and these signs mostly pointed towards distress in the gastrointestinal tract. Few of them had vague neurological symptoms. - All animals that died from cantharidiasis were found to be in shock near their end, showing intense symptoms anywhere from 3 to 18 hours.
- Pathological findings varied, with some horses showing no visible damage, while others demonstrated mild to moderate redness in the gastric, small intestinal, or colonic mucus membranes. A couple of the studied horses had stomach or duodenal ulcers, and two others showed signs of urinary bladder mucosa hemorrhage.
- Diagnosis was confirmed in all cases through the chemical detection of cantharidin in either the urine, blood, or gastrointestinal tract content of the poisoned equid.
Conclusion of the Study
- The study concluded that blister beetle poisoning in equids is not always fatal. The severity of an animal’s symptoms are related to the amount of cantharidin ingested.
- Furthermore, all surviving horses underwent aggressive treatment for their illness.
- The study also suggested that the pathological damage from fatal blister beetle poisonings can either be minimal or inapparent.
Cite This Article
APA
Helman RG, Edwards WC.
(1997).
Clinical features of blister beetle poisoning in equids: 70 cases (1983-1996).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 211(8), 1018-1021.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater 74078, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Calcium / blood
- Cantharidin / analysis
- Cantharidin / pharmacokinetics
- Cantharidin / poisoning
- Coleoptera
- Colic / chemically induced
- Colic / pathology
- Digestive System / pathology
- Equidae
- Female
- Gastrointestinal Contents / chemistry
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / chemically induced
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / pathology
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / chemically induced
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / therapy
- Horses
- Magnesium / blood
- Male
- Poisoning / diagnosis
- Poisoning / pathology
- Poisoning / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Wang Q, Zhang H, Lu D, Zhang W, Li S, Ling H, Li X, Zhang J. An overview of the research progress on Mylabris: entomology, active ingredients, traditional use, pharmacology, clinical application, pharmacokinetics, toxicity and detoxification strategies. Chin Med 2025 Dec 4;20(1):212.
- Liao Y, Wei F, He Z, He J, Ai Y, Guo C, Zhou L, Luo D, Li C, Wen Y, Zeng J, Ma X. Animal-derived natural products for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy: current evidence and future perspectives. Front Pharmacol 2024;15:1399882.
- Jakovac-Strajn B, Brozić D, Tavčar-Kalcher G, Babič J, Trilar T, Vengust M. Entomological Surveillance and Cantharidin Concentrations in Mylabris variabilis and Epicauta rufidorsum Blister Beetles in Slovenia. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jan 18;11(1).
- Bischoff K, Moiseff J. Equine feed contamination and toxicology. Transl Anim Sci 2018 Feb;2(1):111-118.
- Uzal FA, Diab SS. Gastritis, Enteritis, and Colitis in Horses. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2015 Aug;31(2):337-58.
- Simpson KM, Streeter RN, De Souza P, Genova SG, Morgan SE. Cantharidin toxicosis in 2 alpacas. Can Vet J 2013 May;54(5):456-62.
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