Acute Oral Chromium Exposure Resulting in Ulcerative Gastritis and Perforated Ulcers in Swine
Fernanda Felicetti Perosa,
Anderson Hentz Gris,
Manoela Marchezan Piva,
Jean Carlo Olivo Menegatt,
Claiton Ismael Schwertz,
Paola Sônego,
Tatiane Terumi Negrao Watanabe,
Saulo Petinatti Pavarini,
David Driemeier,
Welden Panziera
Affiliations
Fernanda Felicetti Perosa
Setor de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, Porto Alegre 91540-000, RS, Brazil
Anderson Hentz Gris
Setor de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, Porto Alegre 91540-000, RS, Brazil
Manoela Marchezan Piva
Setor de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, Porto Alegre 91540-000, RS, Brazil
Jean Carlo Olivo Menegatt
Setor de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, Porto Alegre 91540-000, RS, Brazil
Claiton Ismael Schwertz
Setor de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, Porto Alegre 91540-000, RS, Brazil
Paola Sônego
Setor de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, Porto Alegre 91540-000, RS, Brazil
Tatiane Terumi Negrao Watanabe
Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
Saulo Petinatti Pavarini
Setor de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, Porto Alegre 91540-000, RS, Brazil
David Driemeier
Setor de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, Porto Alegre 91540-000, RS, Brazil
Welden Panziera
Setor de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, Porto Alegre 91540-000, RS, Brazil
Heavy metal poisoning poses a challenge in diagnostic practices and environmental safety. This study describes the epidemiological, clinical, and pathological aspects of a chromium (Cr) poisoning outbreak in growing/finishing pigs housed in pens with bedding of pine wood shavings containing Cr. A visit to the affected farm was conducted. Epidemiological data were collected, and necropsy and histopathological examinations and heavy metal quantifications were performed. Up to 30% of the animals from the affected pens displayed clinical signs 48 h after housing, characterized by apathy, rigid gait, distended abdomen, pain to abdominal palpation, fever, vomiting, and skin cyanosis. The lethality rate reached 76.6%. Main postmortem findings consisted of ulcerative gastritis with perforation of the glandular stomach in all necropsied swine. Heavy metal analysis revealed a higher concentration of Cr in the bedding of the affected pens, along with elevated levels of Cr in the livers of the affected swine. Given that Cr is a known cause of poisoning in humans (with acute oral exposure resulting in corrosive lesions in the gastrointestinal tract), this study marks the first diagnosis of acute oral natural Cr poisoning in animals. This diagnosis was established through the association of epidemiological, pathological, and heavy metal quantification data.
