Japanese Yew (Taxus) poisoning of wild ungulates in Utah during the winter of 2022-2023

Authors: Lee, Stephen; KELLY, JANE - Utah Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory; STOUT, VIRGINIA - Utah Division Of Wildlife Resources; LAMB, SYDNEY - Utah Division Of Wildlife Resources; BALDWIN, THOMAS - Utah Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory; Cook, Daniel

Submitted to: Toxicon
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/28/2024
Publication Date: 5/29/2024
Citation: Lee, S.T., Kelly, J., Stout, V., Lamb, S., Baldwin, T.J., Cook, D. 2024. Japanese Yew (Taxus) poisoning of wild ungulates in Utah during the winter of 2022-2023. Toxicon. 246: Article 107779. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.107779.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.107779

Interpretive Summary: Taxus is a genus of coniferous shrubs and trees, commonly known as the yews, in the family Taxaceae. All species of yew contain taxine alkaloids, which are ascribed as the toxic principles. Anecdotally, free ranging ruminants such as antelope, deer, elk, and moose have been regarded as tolerant to yew. Herein several cases of intoxication of deer, elk, and moose by yew from the state of Utah in the winter of 2022-2023 are documented. Ingestion of yew was documented by three means among the poisoned cervids; plant fragments consistent with yew were visually observed in the rumen contents, chemical analysis and subsequent detection of the taxines from rumen and liver contents, and identification of operational taxonomic units identified as Taxus spp from DNA metabarcoding. Undoubtedly, the record snowfall in Utah during the winter of 2022-2023 contributed to these poisonings.

Technical Abstract: Taxus is a genus of coniferous shrubs and trees, commonly known as the yews, in the family Taxaceae. All species of yew contain taxine alkaloids, which are ascribed as the toxic principles. Anecdotally, free ranging ruminants such as antelope, deer, elk, and moose have been regarded as tolerant to yew. Herein several cases of intoxication of deer, elk, and moose by yew from the state of Utah in the winter of 2022-2023 are documented. Ingestion of yew was documented by three means among the poisoned cervids; plant fragments consistent with yew were visually observed in the rumen contents, chemical analysis and subsequent detection of the taxines from rumen and liver contents, and identification of operational taxonomic units identified as Taxus spp from DNA metabarcoding. Undoubtedly, the record snowfall in Utah during the winter of 2022-2023 contributed to these poisonings.