Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog poisoning with tremor toxins from Penicillium fungus
By Eriksen, G S et al.·Published in Medical mycology·2010·National Veterinary Institute·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Poisoning of dogs with tremorgenic Penicillium toxins.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Six dogs were accidentally poisoned by toxins from a type of mold called Penicillium crustosum. The dogs showed serious symptoms like vomiting, tremors, and seizures, which affected their nervous systems. While three of the dogs recovered completely within a few days, one dog had to be euthanized, and two others continued to show neurological issues months later. One of those two eventually recovered, but the other still struggles with coordination problems three years later. This case highlights the dangers of mold toxins and the potential for long-term effects after severe poisoning.
People also search for: dog vomiting seizures mold poisoning · Penicillium crustosum symptoms in dogs · dog tremors treatment
Abstract
Fungi in the genus Penicillium, particularly P. crustosum, produce tremorgenic mycotoxins, as well as suspected tremorgenic compounds. The accidental intoxication of six dogs with such toxins are reported. The clinical signs included vomiting, convulsions, tremors, ataxia, and tachycardia, all of which are indicators of intoxications affecting the nervous system. This symptomatology caused us to think that the dog poisoning was the result of tremorgenic mycotoxins. One dog was euthanized in the acute phase, while three others recovered completely within a few days. However, neurological symptoms were still observed four months after the poisoning of two of the dogs. One of these recovered completely within the next 2-3 months, while the other still suffers from ataxia three years later. Available samples of feed, stomach content and/or tissues from the intoxications were subjected to mycological and chemical analysis. Penitrem A was found in all reported poisonings and roquefortine C in all cases when this toxin was included in the analysis. The producer of these toxins, Penicillium crustosum, was detected in all cases where material suitable for mycological examinations (feed or vomit) was available. To our knowledge, this is the first report documenting the presence of penitrems and roquefortine C in organs from poisoned dogs. Furthermore, the report indicates that the recovery period after severe poisonings with P. crustosum may be protracted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19886763/