Insecticides poisoning with

In the scientific literature, there are many case report,s and serie,s of the apparently successful treatment of OP insecticide poisoning with diazepam as an adjunctive but widely accepted therapy (Karallicdde and Szinicz, 2001). Examples include Barckow et at. (1969), Vale and Scott (1974), Yacoub etal. (1981), Merrill and Mihm (1982), Marti etal. (1985). LeBlanc etal. (1986), de Kort etal. (1988), Jovanovic etal. (1990). Ku.sic etal. (1991), and Weissmann-Brenner et ai. (2002). In most ca.ses, the indication for the use of diazepam was convulsions, but diazepam has also been used to control muscle fascicu-lation and agitation. In the case of convulsions, the adult dose is 10-20 mg iv, whcrea.s that for children is 0.2 or 0,3 mg/kg iv. The elderly should receive half the adult dose. 

As mentioned above, to apply to insects a conclusion drawn directly from tests on mammals may sometimes be misleading.3 For instance, American cockroaches have a remarkably high tolerance for acetylcholine,4 but, on the other hand, a substance showing some of the pharmacological properties of acetylcholine does accumulate in flies and cockroaches poisoned with D.D.T. Similarly, Hopf, working with locusts, was unable to demonstrate any increase in toxicity of eserine or T.E.P.P. resulting from the subsequent injection of acetylcholine. From this, Lord and Potter infer that acetylcholine may not be directly involved in the insecticidal action of organo-phosphorus compounds, either because the enzymes which hydrolyse acetylcholine are not inhibited to any considerable extent in vivo or because the functions performed by acetylcholine in mammals are performed by another substance in insects. 

Brzezinski J. 1972. Effect of poisoning with phosphorus organic insecticides on the catechol amine levels in rat plasma, brain, and adrenals. Dissertationes Pharmaceuticae et Pharmacologicae 24 217- 220. 

Wysocka-Paruszewska B. 1970. Urine level of 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymandelic acid in urine of rats poisoned with phosphorus organic insecticides. Dissertationes Pharmaceuticae et Pharmacologicae 22 485-489. 

All insecticides affected the mobility of . riparius larvae in a similar manner. A normal swimming motion was generally reduced to 1 cycle at the onset of toxic symptoms. The effect of the toxicant increased until the larva lost all ability to move. Death soon followed. Similar symptoms of insecticide poisoning have been reported for stonefly naiads (13, 14). Changes in larval color were unreliable for determining toxic affect. Toxic symptoms were observed in approximately 50-75% of the midge larvae immersed in 20 ug/L aldrin at the end of the 2 hr exposure but no effects were noted with aldrin plus PBO. All larvae immersed in dieldrin, or dieldrin with PBO were moribund. 

Obidoxime is an antidote used to treat poisoning with insecticides of the organophosphate type (p. 102). Phosphorylation of acetylcholinesterase causes an irreversible inhibition of ace-Ltillmann, Color Atlas of Pharmacology 2000 Thieme All rights reserved. Usage subject to terms and conditions of license. 

C. Bronchoconstriction and secretion and muscular weaknesses occur from acetylcholine accumulation after inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. Parathion is an organophosphate insecticide that inhibits acetylcholinesterase, and it is readily available. Poisoning with compound 1080 (fluorocitrate) inhibits mitochondrial respiration and causes seizures and car-... 

Hassan RM, Pesce AJ, Sheng P, et al. 1981. Correlation of serum pseudocholinesterase and clinical course in two patients poisoned with organophosphate insecticides. Clin Toxicol 18(4) 401-406. 

Farm workers are especially susceptible to organophosphate insecticide poisoning. Unsafe spraying conditions can lead to accumulated toxicity and chronic symptoms. Since there are many enzymes in the body which are in the serine esterase family along with Achase and can complex... 

Insects poisoned with rotenone exhibit a steady decline in oxygen consumption and the insecticide has been shown to have a specific action in interfering with the electron transport involved in the oxidation of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinudeotide (NADH) to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) by cytochrome h. Poisoning, therefore, inhibits the mitochondrial oxidation of Krebs-cycle intermediates which is catalyzed by NAD. 

The study of the distribution of a poison, post mortem, presents a complex problem. The estimation of the poison in the blood presents a complex problem due to the putrefactive changes in blood and the minute quantity available for analysis. Distribution of insecticidal poisons from the blood to the tissues and body fluids takes place with some recirculation to the blood(lJ. 

Tetrachlorvinphos is an insecticide/acaricide with contact and stomach poison activity tor control of houseflies, poultry lice, mites (animal), ticks, etc. It is also used as larvicide for animal feed. Its oral LD50 in rats is >2000 mg/kg. 

The usual symptoms of organophosphate insecticide poisoning in mammals are muscular twitching, urination, extreme weakness, salivation, paralysis, diarrhea and, in severe cases, convulsions. The symptoms of carbamate insecticide poisoning in mammals are essentially identical with those of organophosphates. A moderate inhibition (15-36%) of... 

Atropine is the recommended antidote for organophosphate and carbamate insecticide poisoning. It competes with acetylcholine for the active site of the acetylcholine... 

Ludomirsky, A., Klein, H.O., Sarelli, P., Becker, B., Hoffman, S., Taitelman, U., Barzilai, J., Lang, R., David, D., DiSegni, E., Kaplinsky, E. (1982). Q-T prolongation and polymorphous ( torsade de pointes ) ventricular arrhythmias associated with organophosphorus insecticide poisoning. Am. J. Cardiol. 49 1654-8. 

Large numbers of cattle and other domestic livestock have been poisoned with insecticides that were inadvertently incorporated into feedstuffs. There have been instances where the same transport vessels have been used to trans-port/store insecticides, seeding crops, and silage, resulting in cross-contamination. Insecticides eould be used by terrorists to adulterate animal feedstuffs. The toxicology and... 

The only two randomized controlled clinical trials performed so far did not result in a final proof of the efficacy of the oximes in the treatment of poisonings induced by the OP insecticides in humans due to methodological problems (Eddleston et al., 2002). However, experimental and clinical experience suggests that among the pyridinium oximes, obidoxime andtrimedoxime, although relatively toxic, could provide reactivation and antidotal protection against most of the OP insecticides. In addition, HI-6 has proved to be effective in the treatment of soman-poisoned animals and safe and effective in patients poisoned with diethoxy OPs. 

The organophosphosphates represent another extremely important class of organic insecticides. They were developed during World War II as chemical warfare agents. Early examples included the powerful insecticide schradan, a systemic insecticide, and the contact insecticide parathion. Unfortunately, both of these compounds are highly poisonous to mammals and subsequent research in this field has been directed toward the development of more selective and less poisonous insecticides. In 1950, malathion, the first example of a wide-specUnm organophosphorus insecticide combined with very low mammalian toxicity, was developed. And at about the same time the phenoxyacetic acid herbicides were discovered. These systemic compounds ate extremely valuable for the selective control of broad-leaved weeds in cereal crops. These compounds have a relatively low toxicity to mammals and are therefore relatively safe to use. 

Action on receptors provides numerous examples. Beneficial interactions are sought in overdose, as with the use of naloxone for morphine overdose (opioid receptor), of atropine for anticholinesterase, i.e. insecticide poisoning (acetylcholine receptor), of isoproterelol (isoprenaline) for overdose with a P-adrenoceptor blocker (p-adrenoceptor), of phentolamine for the monoamine oxidase inhibitor-sympathomimetic interaction (a-adrenoceptor). 

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