Phosphine poisoning in free‐range local chickens: a case report

Abstract

Phosphine poisoning is rarely reported in poultry, and its diagnosis is a great challenge for veterinary toxicologists and pathologists. A case of phosphine toxicosis in local, free range chickens is reported. Fourteen dead chickens (age ≥6 months old) were presented to the veterinary clinic for necropsy. The history revealed that the chickens were normally fed with guinea corn grains, but were suspected to have been fed boiled rice laced with poison. The clinical signs observed were ruffled feathers, somnolence, anorexia and high mortality. The disease ran a 2‐day course with mortality pattern of four chickens the first day, six overnight and 14 the following day. Necropsy findings showed generalized vascular congestion and haemorrhage in the lungs and visceral organs, with the crop and gizzard filled with guinea corn and rice grains and greenish‐yellow faecal material in the intestinal lumen. The presence of widespread congestion and petechial haemorrhages on visceral organs with the microscopic pulmonary congestion, and diffuse intraparabronchial presence of air sac macrophages, strongly suggested an acute toxic cause of death. Chemical tests on the crop contents of the dead chickens were positive for phosphine gas. This report will contribute to a better understanding of the clinical signs and lesions presented in cases of acute phosphide rodenticide exposure in domestic chickens, with a brief review of the forensic literature.

Field efficacy of reduced active ingredient zinc phosphide formulation against rodents

“…Burrow baiting is recommended during lean period and crop germination stages to avoid non-target toxicity hazards due to less or no crop cover. But still there may be non-target toxicity caused by these rodenticide baits when dogs dig the rodent burrows and throw the bait outside the burrow leading to direct poisoning of nontargets (Muraina et al, 2018) or secondary poisoning when the natural predators consume rodents died after consuming rodenticide bait (Gabriel et al, 2012). Present study conducted in different crops concluded that 2% and 2.5% bait formulations of 40% zinc phosphide are as effective as the already recommended 2% formulation of 80% zinc phosphide and 0.005% bait formulation of 0.25% bromadiolone and can be used for managing rodent pest population in crop fields with reduced risk to non-targets.…”

“…But these rodenticides can have negative impacts on non-target animals (Witmer et al, 2013;Thomas et al, 2011;Gabriel et al, 2012). Most of these impacts are attributed to anticoagulant poisoning, but in some cases, these are caused by accidental consumption of zinc phosphide (Muraina et al, 2018). The mortality rate of zinc phosphide poisoning is around 37-100% (Sogut et al, 2011).…”