HIDDEN DANGER

by Lana Kaiser, DVM

Agriculture is a high-risk occupation. When you think of accidents on your farm, you probably think of tractor rollovers, getting hung up in the PTO shaft, or being charged by a bull or kicked by a cow. Over 10 percent of agricultural injuries occur secondary to needle sticks - most commonly in the hand. Big deal, you say, a little blood, a little pain, no big thing, it happens all the time. Did you ever think about dying from an accidental injection of a drug used to treat cattle?

Last time you treated a bovine, did you put the syringe your pocket and walk nonchalantly into the barn? Because you were pressed for time and carrying a lot of stuff, did you put it in your mouth when you walked through the barnyard? Or maybe you figured you would save time, so you took the needle cover off and carried it to the chute.

In 2003, a 38-year-old Nebraska cattleman, husband, father and son died as the result of an accidental injection of Micotil (tilcomisin). As reconstructed by the Nebraska Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation, “He was carrying a 12cc plastic disposable syringe in his right hand when a cow that was in an adjacent pen charged him, striking the fence between the two. The victim was knocked to the ground. When struck from the fall, he was injected with an unknown amount of the antibiotic. He immediately began to feel dizzy and nauseous. He was able to return to the “vet room” inside the barn to call his wife who was nearby in the house. An ambulance was called and the victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died less than an hour later.” By all accounts, he had used Micotil in the past and was an experienced and careful individual.

We become very lackadaisical with the drugs we use to treat cattle, and this lack of knowledge and care can kill us. Use of drugs in cattle requires knowledge and care. Use of Micotil requires a little more of both. Read the label! Micotil can be fatal to humans, but it is not the only potential lethal cattle drug.

Micotil
Micotil is an antibiotic developed for the treatment of respiratory disease (pneumonia, shipping fever) in cattle. Micotil is not a human product. Micotil is an excellent bovine antibiotic, because it requires a low dose with only one injection given subcutaneously. Virtually thousands of doses of Micotil have been administered without incident. To date, there are two confirmed fatalities and several individuals having required hospitalization after inadvertent injection of Micotil. By the numbers, you are more likely to be hit by a drunk driver than to die from Micotil. But the numbers are meaningless if you or your loved one is the person who dies from an accidental injection of Micotil.
The target organ of Micotil in humans is the heart. Some drugs used in emergency rooms to treat people with heart problems (i.e. epinephrine and beta blockers like propranolol) make Micotil toxicity worse. If you are inadvertently stuck by a syringe containing Micotil, take the product information (see Micotil product information in this article) with you to the emergency room. It contains information about treatment as well as the numbers to call.

Micotil may be the most rapid lethal drug we use in the cattle business, but don’t be fooled into believing that it is the only dangerous drug or compound on the farm. Here are a few of the other drugs on the farm that can kill you or make you really sick.

Organophosphates
German scientists prior to and during World War II originally introduced organophosphates as pesticides; however, there was considerable speculation that these highly toxic substances could be used as antipersonnel devices in chemical warfare. That history should be enough to tell you that these are toxic compounds and should be used with care. They are primarily used as insecticides and antiparasitics. Organophosphates act by permanently inhibiting an enzyme in the nervous system (in both parasites and humans). They have a narrow margin of safety. This means that there is very little difference in the therapeutic dose and the toxic dose. Organophosphates can be absorbed thorough the skin as well as the lungs, so you should always wear protective clothing when using them. Some of the more common organophosphates are diclorvos (a.k.a. DDVP, Task) and coumafos (a.k.a. Meldane).

Xylazine
Xylazine (a.k.a. Rompun) is a prescription analgesic (pain reliever), sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant that is used in cattle for a variety of purposes. It is classified as an “alpha adrenergic agonist” and has effects on the central and peripheral nervous systems. Xylazine can decrease the function of the heart and drop blood pressure. Almost every veterinarian knows someone who knows some veterinarian who has self injected him or herself with xylazine and fell right over, leaving the farmer to call 911. The veterinarian nearly dies and ends up in the hospital for a while.

Lutalyse
Lutalyse is a prostaglandin F2 alpha analog. This means it basically does what naturally made prostaglandin F2 alpha does. In the cattle business, we use it to synchronize cattle for  breedingand to abort pregnant cattle. Lutalyse is readily absorbed through the skin. According to the label, "Women of childbearing age, asthmatics and persons with other respiratory problems should exercise extreme caution when handling this product... and can cause abortion and/or bronchospasms." So, if you are pregnant or have emphysema or asthma, have somebody else synchronize the cows. If you accidentally get Lutalyse on your skin, wash thoroughly with soap and water. If you are accidentally injected with Lutalyse, get to a hospital.

Penicillin
Penicillin is an inexpensive antibiotic that can be used to treat a variety of infections in cattle. It is estimated that penicillin is responsible for 75 percent of all deaths due to drug induced allergic reactions. In fact, anaphylactic reactions to penicillin are responsible for over 400 deaths in the United States annually. People who are allergic to penicillin are also likely allergic to two similar drugs - Ampicillin and Amoxicillin. A high percentage of persons allergic to penicillin are also sensitive to the cephalosporins, this would include Naxcel and Excenel. If you know you have a penicillin allergy, be careful. If you don’t know, you should be careful because you might!

Any sedative (Ace, Thorazine, Xylazine, etc.) by their nature is mind altering. Certainly they can be harmful if we are accidentally exposed to them, but just as importantly, these mind-altering drugs can cause animals to act out of their mind. Now in most cases, this change in behavior is what we expect - sedation and calmness. It can also give you a false sense of security - the animal looks calm, so you let down your guard. You should also know sedatives can cause a reaction opposite of the intended reaction, so instead of calming down, the animal becomes more excited.

Bangs Vaccine
The cause of Bangs disease (a.k.a. brucellosis) is bacteria, and the vaccine is made from live bacteria. In humans, this bacteria causes a disease called undulant fever. If you or your veterinarian is accidentally injected with the vaccine, it is very likely that undulant fever will occur. If you are stuck, go to your physician as soon as possible for antibiotics to prevent the development of the disease.

Chloramphenicol
Great antibiotic but is illegal to use in food producing animals, because it can cause fatal aplastic anemia in people. With aplastic anemia, the bone marrow quits making both red and white blood cells, making you both anemic and susceptible