- From ProMED-mail
- 3-31-7
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- FDA Tests Show Chemical in Pet Food
- By Brenda Goodman
NY Times
3-30-7
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- Scientists with the Food and Drug Administration [FDA]
have linked a chemical to the illness and deaths of cats eating tainted
food and raised for the 1st time the possibility that dry pet food may
have been affected as well as wet food.
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- FDA officials said at a news conference today that they
have linked the chemical melamine, which they said is used as a fertilizer
in Asia, to the kidneys of the affected cats. Thousands of owners of both
cats and dogs who feed their pets wet or dry food have complained that
their pets have become ill, but the FDA has not yet determined if those
illnesses are linked to pet food.
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- The agency has recalled a batch of contaminated Chinese
wheat gluten that was sent to many pet food manufacturers, including one
that makes dry dog food.
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- But they said they do not know yet if the contaminated
wheat gluten has been used to make pet food. And the FDA's finding was
also immediately disputed by the New York State Food Laboratory, the testing
facility that announced last Friday [23 Mar 2007, see ProMED-mail posting
Pet food fatalities, pets - USA, Canada, Mexico (02): aminopterin 20070325.1040
- Mod.MPP] it had identified Aminopterin, a rat poison, in samples of tainted
cat food.
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- Because the FDA identified melamine crystals in the kidneys
of affected cats, the agency is presuming the illnesses are related to
the chemical, said Dr. Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center
for Veterinary Medicine.
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- FDA officials have not yet released the name of the dry
pet food company that received the contaminated wheat gluten, saying it
was not clear if any of that gluten had yet been made into dog food.
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- "We are in the plant right now," said Michael
Rogers, director of the division of field investigations in the office
of regulatory affairs for the FDA "At this time, we're not certain
any dry food was made with that wheat gluten. As soon as we find out what
dry food, if any, was manufactured, we will announce it publicly."
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- Jessica A Chittenden, a spokeswoman for the New York
State Department of Agriculture and Markets, said "We don't think
this is the final conclusion. Melamine is not a known toxin. There's not
enough data to show that it is toxic to cats."
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- She added: "We are confident we found Aminopterin,
and it makes sense with the pathology." She also said another laboratory,
Animal Health Laboratory at the University of Guelph in Canada, had confirmed
the presence of Aminopterin in the samples.
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- But the FDA said they had been unable to find Aminopterin
in the pet food samples it had tested. Researchers at Cornell said they
were also unable to find any evidence of the rat poison.
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- "We believe the laboratories involved in this investigation
should continue to maintain an open forum to definitively identify the
one or more agents that are causing the deaths and illnesses of cats and
dogs so that they do not enter the animal or human food chain in the future,"
said Patrick Hooker, the agricultural commissioner for the state of New
York.
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- Though Dr. Sundlof said he was not certain melamine was
the chemical causing illness in dogs and cats, "at this point in the
investigation, we are not focusing on Aminopterin."
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- FDA officials announced they had received more than 8000
complaints from pet owners with sick pets, but they have not yet had "the
luxury of time" to confirm all of those complaints are linked to tainted
pet food.
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- Officials did acknowledge, however, that many of the
complaints were from owners who only fed their pets dry food.
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- Another press conference by Menu Foods, the manufacturer
of wet "cuts and sauce" style food that has already been recalled,
was scheduled for later today.
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- http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/30/us/30cnd-pet.html?hp
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- ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
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- From Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
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- Cornell Scientists identify melamine in recalled pet
food and in samples from affected cats
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- --------------------------
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- Concurrent with the announcement made by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) today, Cornell researchers at the Animal
Health Diagnostic Center have confirmed that they also have identified
melamine as a contaminant in multiple pet food samples. Cornell had shared
its lab results on melamine early this week with the FDA.
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- Melamine was also found in multiple urine and tissue
samples from affected cats, however, Cornell researchers are not yet able
to adequately relate the presence of melamine to the clinical and pathologic
signs reported in affected cats and dogs.
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- Regarding the presence of aminopterin identified by the
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets on 23 Mar 2007, Cornell
researchers have not yet corroborated the presence of this compound, as
the diagnostic testing on the samples continues.
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- "This is a very complex and challenging investigation,
and we shall continue to pursue all toxicologic, clinical and pathologic
avenues until we are fully confident that all relevant questions have been
answered," said Donald Smith, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary
Medicine at Cornell. "Pets are very important to all of us, and our
hearts go out to the many families involved in this sad situation."
For more information, contact the Cornell Press Relations Office at (607)
255-3024 or <mailto:SSL37@cornell.edu>SSL37@cornell.edu
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- http://www.vet.cornell.edu/news/FoodRecall/prMarch30.htm
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- ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
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- The plot now thickens. First, the recall involved "wet
food" coming from a myriad of labels but all produced by the same
company (Menu Foods). Next there was the identification of aminopterin
in a few samples of food tested by 2 independent laboratories. Now there
has been the identification of melamine in samples of urine from a few
affected felines and in urinary stones of a few infected felines. And,
now, there is mention that some of the affected animals had been fed only
dry food. As the waters are still rather muddy, it seems premature to
draw firm conclusions on the etiologic agent responsible for the renal
failure in the affected felines and canines. Melamine by itself is not
considered a highly toxic substance in humans (or at least is not listed
as such on the various toxic substance registry sites in the USA, Europe
or on the UN Codex alimentarius. Whether this is the same for felines and
canines awaits further study/information. We await further information
as it becomes available. Additional food for thought (pardon the pun) is
that the renal failure may be a function of a mixture of chemicals rather
than one specific substance -- each substance on its own may be relatively
"safe" but when in combination with another substance may result
in nephrotoxicity.- Mod.MPP.
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- Dry dog and cat food made in Thailand by the U.S. company
Pedigree was recalled from 9 Asian countries in 2004 after reports of kidney
failure in hundreds of pets, mostly puppies, but no definite link was established,
or at least none was ever reported on ProMED -- see ProMED 2004 ref. below.
- Mod.JW
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- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD
- Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
- Univ of West Indies
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- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
- Also my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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