Intoxicações natural e experimental por salinomicina em coelhos no Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

An outbreak of salinomycin poisoning in rabbits is described. From a total of 2000 rabbits, at least 27 died after coccidiostatic sulfaquinoxalin was substituted by salinomycin treatment. In the ration fed to the rabbits 26.9 ppm of salinomycin were detected. Clinical signs included anorexia, apathy and slowness with evolution to incoordination and recumbency. Gross lesions consisted of pale areas in the skeletal muscles. Histopathological findings were severe degenerative-necrotic myopathy associated with infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages. One rabbit presented similar myocardial changes. Mineralization was seen in affected skeletal muscles of some cases. Twenty rabbits were divided into five groups that received doses of 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 ppm of salinomycin for reproduction of the suspected poisoning. The administration of doses from 50 ppm on resulted in clinical signs seen in the spontaneous outbreak. It was concluded that an error of the dosage for treatment was the cause of the rabbit deaths described.