title: Hepatotoxicosis in dogs consuming a diet of camel meat contaminated with indospicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Four dogs presented with clinical signs of severe hepatic disease after consuming a commercial camel meat diet.
  
  
  METHODS
  Laboratory investigation revealed evidence of severe liver disease, including markedly increased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity and total bilirubin concentration, and prolonged clotting times.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two dogs deteriorated despite supportive therapy and were euthanased. Histologically, both livers appeared similar, with the main lesion being extensive periacinar necrosis and haemorrhage. Indospicine, a toxic amino acid of plant origin, was detected in the serum and/or plasma from all four dogs, as well as in tissues of a dog that was necropsied and in a sample of the camel meat fed to this animal. Serum biochemistry tests using blood samples collected from 15 additional dogs identified as having eaten the diet detected indospicine was in the serum of 14 and 3 had increased ALT activity. One of the latter dogs subsequently developed clinical signs of severe liver disease and was euthanased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To the authors' knowledge, this is the first published report of the detection of indospicine residues in camel meat and the occurrence of severe, sometimes fatal, liver disease in dogs that consumed this contaminated meat.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Division of Health Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia. L.FitzGerald@murdoch.edu.au
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: FitzGerald
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: A E H
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Mansfield
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: O'Hara
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D002162:Camelus; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D004285:Dogs; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D008460:Meat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009646:Norleucine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning
chemical_list: D009646:Norleucine; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; C058318:indospicine