Chapter 5 Renal toxicity of pet foods contaminated with melamine and related compounds

摘要

In 2007, a lethal renal failure syndrome was recognized among pets consuming products that were later found to contain melamine. This precipitated the recall of over 1,000 types of pet food products. Chemical analysis revealed co-contamination by cyanuric acid and related triazine compounds. Poisoned animals exhibited uremia, azotemia, and hyperphosphatemia in addition to renal tubule obstruction by spherical and polarizable crystals displaying a distinctive radial internal structure. Oral dosing studies combining melamine and cyanuric acid recreated the characteristic renal failure syndrome in laboratory animals. Detection of melamine and cyanuric acid in renal calculi collected from exposed animals confirmed that this renal failure syndrome is associated with the combination of these agents.