Equine, biological effects

Neurological Effects. Little information was available to determine the neurotoxicity or the mechanism of neurotoxicity of HDI after inhalation, oral, or dermal exposure. Headache was reported in only one human exposure case (Malo et al. 1983). Neurotoxic effects (convulsions) may occur in laboratory animals if concentrations reaeh high levels in the air (Haskell Laboratory 1961) however, sinee HDI is metabolized quickly in a biological matrix (Berode et al. 1991), little intaet HDI is expected to reach the nervous tissue to elicit a toxic response, except possibly at very high eoneentrations. No neurological effects have reported in laboratory animals, or in hiunans exposed chronieally to low concentrations of HDI (Mobay Corporation 1989). HDI, in addition to other isocyanates, have been shown to inhibit acetylcholinesterase in human erythrocytes (Dewair et al. 1983), human serum acetylcholinesterase (Brown et al. 1982), as well as equine serum, bovine erythrocyte, and eel acetylcholinesterase (Brown et al. 1982). 

As an instrumental approach to conventional electrophoresis, capillary electrophoresis offers the capability of on-line detection, micropreparative operation and automation (6,8,45-47). In addition, the in tandem connection of capillary electrophoresis to other spectroscopy techniques, such as mass spectrometry, provides high information content on many components of the simple or complex peptide under study. For example, it has been possible to separate and characterize various dynorphins by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (33). Therefore, the combination of CE-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) provides a valuable analytical tool useful for the fast identification and structural characterization of peptides. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the use of atmospheric pressure ionization using Ion Spray Liquid Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry is well suited for CE/MS (48). This approach to CE/MS provides a very effective and straightforward method which allow the feasibility of obtaining CE/MS data for peptides from actual biological extracts, i.e., analysis of neuropeptides from equine cerebral spinal fluid (33). 

Viruses that can cause inflammation of the brain and associated membranes, particularly the class of encephalitides, could be employed as effective biological weapons. One of these, the Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus, often transmitted in nature by mosquitoes, is one of many viral agents under development as weapons at one time or another. Before ending its official BW program in 1969, the United States weaponized the VEE virus, and the Soviet... 

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