No Access

PRESUMED CAUSE OF MASS DEATHS OF ROOKS (CORVUS FRUGILEGUS PASTINATOR) USING PIXE ANALYSIS

Department of Environmental Science, Akita Prefectural Research Center for Public Health and Environment, 191-42 Yabase-Shimoyabase, Akita 010-0975, Japan

Author for correspondence.

Search for more papers by this author

TAKASHI KOBAYASHI

Department of Environmental Science, Akita Prefectural Research Center for Public Health and Environment, 191-42 Yabase-Shimoyabase, Akita 010-0975, Japan

Search for more papers by this author

KOICHIRO SERA

Cyclotron Research Center, Iwate Medical University, 348-58 Tomegamori, Takizawa 020-0173, Japan

Search for more papers by this author

MASAAKI YASUDA

Akita Prefectural Chuo Livestock Hygiene Service Center, 1-15-5 Terauchi-Hirune, Akita 011-0904, Japan

Search for more papers by this author

, and

JUN KAKINO

Akita Prefectural Chuo Livestock Hygiene Service Center, 1-15-5 Terauchi-Hirune, Akita 011-0904, Japan

Search for more papers by this author

https://doi.org/10.1142/S0129083507001095Cited by:3 (Source: Crossref)

Abstract

Eighty-nine wild birds were found dead in Ogata Village in northern Japan in March 2006. Eighty-eight of the birds were rooks (Corvus Frugilegus Pastinator), which are migratory birds. Since the use of rodenticide (thallium sulfide and zinc phosphide) in the area around where the birds had been found was revealed by a survey, etiological and pathological examinations including elemental analysis by means of particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) were conducted. Elemental analysis showed high concentrations (56–365 dry-μg/g) of thallium in the lungs, gastric contents, intestines, livers and kidneys. Histopathological examination revealed vacuolar degeneration of hepatic cells and granular and/or hyaline droplet degeneration of renal tubular epithelia. The results suggest that the mass deaths were caused by thallium poisoning.

Keywords:

References

S. Futatukawaet al., Int. J. PIXE 3, 319 (1993). Web of Science, Google Scholar
K. Seraet al., Int. J. PIXE 2, 325 (1992), DOI: 10.1142/S0129083592000348. Link, Web of Science, Google Scholar
S. Galván-Arzate and A. Santamaria, Toxicology Letters 99, 1 (1998). Crossref, Web of Science, Google Scholar
P. John and T. Viraraghavan, Environment International 31, 493 (2005). Web of Science, Google Scholar
W. J. Banket al., Arch. Neurol. 26, 456 (1972). Crossref, Web of Science, Google Scholar
T. Yoshimuraet al., The Autonomic Nervous System 19, 300 (1982). Google Scholar
Ohtsuka Chemical Industrial Co., LtdJournal of Pesticide Science 18, S209 (1997). Crossref, Google Scholar
M. Yasuda, K. Saitoh, K. Sera, T. Kobayashi, T. Kazawa, M. Kobayashi, S. Ogawa and J. Kakino, Deaths of wild birds by thallium poisoning, J. Jpn. Vet. Med. Assoc., accepted . Google Scholar
M. Mochizukiet al., Journal of Wildlife Diseases 41, 664 (2005). Crossref, Web of Science, Google Scholar
Y. Yamamotoet al., Res. Pract. Forens. Med. 34, 97 (1991). Google Scholar