Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How to test for imidacloprid in dead birds?
By Buchweitz, John P et al.·Published in Toxicology mechanisms and methods·2019·a Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Qualitative identification of imidacloprid in postmortem animal tissue by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
In a recent investigation into a mass die-off of birds at a wildlife lab in Oregon, researchers found a concerning insecticide called imidacloprid in the tissues of the affected animals. They developed a special method to extract and analyze this chemical from samples like seeds and parts of the birds' bodies. This involved a complex process that allowed them to identify the presence of imidacloprid by creating a modified version of the chemical that could be detected using advanced lab techniques. The results showed that this modified form of imidacloprid was found in all the samples they tested.
Abstract
During an avian mass mortality event investigation at the National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory in Ashland, OR, imidacloprid became an insecticide of concern. A qualitative analytical toxicology screen of seeds, plucks (tongue, esophagus, and trachea), and ventricular contents was requested. A method for the extraction and qualitative analysis of the insecticide in animal tissues was therefore developed. The procedure relies on a combined Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) and QuEChERS (ick,asy,eap,ffective,ugged, andafe) approach to sample extraction followed by qualitative analysis by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Since imidacloprid is not amenable to the conditions of gas chromatography, a trimethylsilyl derivative was created and characterized. Proposed mechanisms for the creation of this derivative and its mass spectrum are described. The imidacloprid-trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivative was detected in all samples submitted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31070080/