Diclofenac disposition in Indian cow and goat with reference to Gyps vulture population declines

M A Taggart, R Cuthbert, D Das, C Sashikumar, D J Pain, R E Green, Y Feltrer, S Shultz, A A Cunningham, A A Meharg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

67 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Gyps vultures across India are declining rapidly and the NSAID diclofenac has been shown to be the major cause. Vultures scavenge livestock carcasses that have been treated with diclofenac within the days preceding death. We present data on diclofenac disposition in Indian cow and goat, and field data on the prevalence of diclofenac in carcases in the environment. In the disposition experiment, animals were treated with a single intramuscular injection of diclofenac at 1000 microg kg-1 bw. In cow, diclofenac was detectable in liver, kidney and intestine up to 71 h post-treatment; in plasma, half-life was 12.2 h. In goat, tissue residues were undetectable after 26 h. Prevalence of diclofenac in liver from 36 dead livestock collected in the field was 13.9%. Data suggest that diclofenac residues in Indian cow and goat are short-lived, but diclofenac prevalence in carcasses available to vultures may still be very high.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)60-5
Number of pages6
JournalEnvironmental Pollution
Volume147
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2007

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Diclofenac disposition in Indian cow and goat with reference to Gyps vulture population declines'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this