Diazinon Toxicosis in Geese

Abstract

On a goose farm with 7600 geese kept in 6 houses, 730 birds in 2 houses died within a single day. After drink- ing, a certain proportion of geese in the affected houses exhibited trembling, salivation, lachrymation and respiratory dis- tress followed by convulsions, dullness and prostration. The birds died soon after the onset of clinical signs. Postmortem examination revealed the presence of a large volume of watery content in the crop. The mucous membrane of the intesti- nal tract and the parenchymal organs were hyperaemic. Histopathological examination demonstrated the signs of circula- tory disturbances in the inner organs. Water samples showing milk-like whitish discolouration, taken from the watering troughs of the two affected houses, were assayed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and found to con- tain diazinon in concentrations of 807 and 582 mg/l, respectively. In the oesophageal content of the dead geese GC-MS demonstrated diazinon in concentrations of 22.1 and 9.3 mg/kg, respectively. On the basis of these results the diagnosis of poisoning caused by the organophosphate insecticide diazinon was established. The suspicion of accidental or intentional contamination of the drinking water with a diazinon-containing product has arisen, but attempts to identify the diazinon- containing product responsible for the toxicosis were unsuccessful.