Intoxication du chien par des noix moisies : études rétrospective d'après les cas reçus au CNITV entre 2008 et 2015

The poisoning of domestic carnivores from ingestion of moldy feed is reported in the literature and attributed to tremorgenic mycotoxins. The CNITV reported a series of 76 cases of suspected poisoning of dogs with moldy walnuts registered between January 2008 and March 2015. This type of poisoning most often occurs accidentally in the garden of owners and is marked by a seasonal aspect related to atmospheric conditions propituous for the development of mycotoxin-producing fungi on nuts. The symptoms occur rapidly after ingestion and are marked by neurological disorders, eventually associated with digestive symptoms, hyperthermia or cardiopulmonary signs. The analytic diagnosis by isolation of tremorgenic mycotoxins and/or fungi that produce them is possible but rarely investigated. The treatment is focused on lowering symptoms and enhancing elimination. Clinical recovery usually occurs within four days but a few publications mention persistence for several months. The mortality rate associated with this intoxication seems quite low but cases of death were reported, particularly when the animal displayed seizures refractory to symptomatic treatment. The relative lack of specificity of that clinical picture makes appropriate to consider this etiology in cases of sudden onset of neurological disorders lacking of any context of alternate exposure to neurotoxic substance. That mycotoxicosis being often little-known or neglected by practitioners, the role of veterinarian poison control centers is essential in that differential diagnosis.