History
A four year old cow was found dead on Friday, February 21, 1997 and
the owner noted that rectum, vagina, udder, lower jaw tissues and tongue
were missing. An investigator on Saturday, February 22 at approximately
1:00 pm lifted the tarp covering the animal and began coughing from
an odor that resembled "car battery" (see Hazard
Notification). Afterwards, the rancher dragged the animal to another
location on the ranch where the NIDS investigative team found it on
Tuesday, February 25 at 9:00 am.
External examination and Necropsy: Because of low temperatures at high
altitude, the decomposition process was not far advanced. A full necropsy
was done on the animal. The vaginal and rectal area, the ventral-posterior
region of the abdomen and left lateral-inferior part of the mandibula
were missing along with the tissues underneath. Through a hole in the
abdominal cavity an approximately eight months old intact fetus was
easily seen. The surrounding uterus had been partially removed. The
subcutaneous connective tissue looked normal in the abdominal, thoracic
and neck areas. The dissection of all four legs lower areas revealed
no subcutaneous abrasions or vascular lesions suggesting antemortem
traumas. In the dorsal region, from neck to the caudal area, a sero-gelatinous,
in some areas even hemorrhagic infiltration was found. The skeletal
muscles from a limited area of the right anterior scapular zone had
small hemorrhagic infiltrations and had slightly darker color. The stomach
and small intestines were intact and had normal contents. A small amount
(300 ml) of sero-hemorrhagic fluid was present in the thoracic cavity.
The myocardium looked slightly discolored. The accessible muscularly
lymph nodes had normal appearance except for the left prescapular nodes
which were slightly enlarged and were surrounded by a mild serous infiltration.
Samples from skin at the junction of opened hide, liver, lung, heart,
kidney, skeletal muscles were collected as fresh samples and an identical
series of samples in 10% formaldehyde solution. Hair was removed from
the dorsal and lumbar area of the animal's back for chemical analysis.
Summary of Analysis
(1)Veterinary Diagnostic Lab Analysis: The tissues and skin samples
were sent to two independent nationally recognized veterinary diagnostic
laboratories. The following are quotations of salient features from
their reports:
LABORATORY 1: "The epidermal surface (of the skin) is unremarkable
consisting of 3–4 layers. The margin of interest shows no evidence of tissue coagulation suggestive of heat exposure or cautery. The histopathologic findings noted within the upper and lower jaw skin show irregular, non precision cuts."
"Of interest are the focal areas of inflammation seen within the skeletal muscle
(from the back) that likely represent an antemortem inflammatory lesion.
The toxicological analysis performed is quite exhaustive and did demonstrate
the liver with an extremely low copper level (1.6ppm) with normal levels
25-100ppm. Severe copper deficiency can result in sudden death as well
as cause the animal to be more susceptible to other diseases."
LABORATORY 2: "There is some evidence of possible pre-existing
generalized inflammatory change and hemolytic E.Coli are isolated from all tissues cultured. This suggests the possibility of a septicemic condition but this cannot be definitely confirmed. It is unusual to isolate relatively pure cultures of E.Coli from various
tissues at necropsy. The lesions associated with mutilation are of unknown origin but there is no evidence of antemortem damage to the skin" "Toxicology testing indicates no significant variation from normal other than low liver copper level."
(2) Hair analysis: The hair was subjected to (i)Scanning Electron Microscopy
(SEM)/Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis for qualitative elemental
analysis (ii) Induction coupled plasma (ICP) quantitative analysis for
identified elements and (iii) Gas chromatography mass spectral (GCMS)
analysis for volatile and semi volatile organics. ICP Metals analysis
of elements in the cow hair detected by SEM/EDX.
| Element | Sample (mg/Kg) |
| Aluminum | 696* |
| Calcium | 505 |
| Copper | 15 |
| Iron | 548* |
| Lead | 0.39 |
| Magnesium | 160 |
| Manganese | 15.8 |
| Phosphorous | 136 |
| Potassium | 674 |
| Silicon | 60.8 |
| Titanium | 18.4 |
| Zinc | 8.1 |
| Sodium | 121 |
*>10 times normal values
The GCMS analysis of semi-volatile organics in the cow hair was as follows:
| Total Ion Chromatogram | Concentration (mg/Kg) |
| Diethylphthalate | 8.49 |
| Tetradecanoic acid | 50.5 |
| Hexadecanoicacid | 71.5 |
| Famphur(oxygen analog) | 8.20 |
| Famphur | 343 |
| Dioctadecyl ester phosphonic acid | 22.0 |
| Cholesterol | 129 |
The chemical analysis showed high levels of Aluminum and Iron and very high
levels of Famphur.
Follow-up
The concentration of Famphur appeared to be unusually high. Therefore,
NIDS contacted the rancher, who gave the information that he had applied
Warbex, an insecticide to control cattle grubs and lice, to the back
of the animal in January of this year. By consulting the chemistry databases
on the Internet it was determined that the active ingredient in Warbex
was Famphur (13.2%). It was also learned that Famphur, at high concentrations
interferes with the nervous system and that in Toxicology databases,
Famphur is classified as "acutely toxic."
The FDA
NIDS then consulted the FDA recommendations for Warbex application.
It was found that the area they recommend to pour Famphur for killing
grubs and lice is exactly the same area that contained the gross hemorrhagic
lesions on the back of the animal.
The Manufacturer
NIDS then called two chemists at the manufacturer of Warbex, which
has been on the market for over 25 years, Mallinckrodt Inc. in Chicago.
They said that it was not unusual for Warbex to last up to 90 days after
application on the animal's back. NIDS was also informed that Famphur
has been implicated in the death of 16 bald eagles in the last couple
of years who have eaten birds who ate contaminated grain containing
Famphur and that the FDA has issued an alert on this subject. Finally,
it was determined by consulting a local veterinarian that the recommended
time for dosage of animals with Warbex in the Taos/Red River area of
New Mexico was June/July. The veterinarian noted that 1996 was "a bad
year for grubs" in the area. It is important to treat grub larvae before
they reach the gullet or spinal area as rapid kill of large numbers
of larvae may cause a host parasite reaction. In this case the animals
were treated in January, a lot later than recommended for the area.
Conclusion
The extensive laboratory testing does not provide evidence for a "classic"
animal mutilation. No evidence of sharp instruments, no evidence of
heat or cautery was obtained after histological examination of the skin.
The animal was severely copper deficient and was possibly septicemic.
Hemolytic bacteria were isolated from the tissues. The exhaustive chemical
analysis revealed another hitherto unsuspected complication, the animal
had been dosed with Warbex at an inappropriate time during the lifecycle
of grub larvae. This may have contributed to immune dysfunction and
increased the animal's susceptibility to E.Coli septicemic infection.
The preliminary conclusion is that the animal died from causes unrelated
to those that have been reported for cattle mutilations. Furthermore,
the lab results do not support the hypothesis that the animal was mutilated
with sharp instruments or that heat was used to cut the hide. If more
information is learned it will be added to this report.
