Location: Poisonous Plant Research
Title: Hemlock (poison hemlock - Conium maculatum; water hemlock - Cicuta spp.) In: Hovda, L.R., Benson, D., Poppenga, R.H., editors. Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Equine ToxicologyAuthor
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Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 1/5/2021 Publication Date: 1/20/2022 Citation: Stegelmeier, B.L. 2022. Hemlock (poison hemlock - Conium maculatum; water hemlock - Cicuta spp.) In: Hovda, L.R., Benson, D., Poppenga, R.H., editors. Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Equine Toxicology. 1st Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 287-293. Interpretive Summary: Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) and water hemlock (Cicuta spp.) are two very different poisonous plants with unique plant habits, growth patterns, toxins, mechanisms of toxicity, clinical disease, and potential treatments. However, they both contain neurotoxins that fatally poison livestock, wildlife and humans. Neither produces consistent gross or microscopic lesions so diagnosis is made by documenting exposure, chemical identification of plant toxin in biologic samples, and the lack of gross and histologic lesions with correlation with consistent clinical course and signs. Technical Abstract: Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) and water hemlock (Cicuta spp.) are two very different poisonous plants with unique plant habits, growth patterns, toxins, mechanisms of toxicity, clinical disease, and potential treatments. However, they both contain neurotoxins that fatally poison livestock, wildlife and humans. Neither produces consistent gross or microscopic lesions so diagnosis is made by documenting exposure, chemical identification of plant toxin in biologic samples, and the lack of gross and histologic lesions with correlation with consistent clinical course and signs. |
