Perspectives in Veterinary Toxicology and One Health

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1008

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Pharmacology and Toxicology Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
Interests: one environmental health toxicology; translational research to mitigate hydrogen sulfide poisoning; hydrogen sulfide/infectious respiratory disease interaction; veterinary toxicology; algal bloom toxic effects on animal and human health; in vitro and in vivo techniques

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Guest Editor
Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD, USA
Interests: understanding and managing risks from chemical and microbial exposures; electronic waste; environmental contaminants; with significant attention needed for vulnerable populations affected by socioeconomic disparities and racial inequities; initiatives like residue monitoring in food; one health frameworks; cancer risk assessment; biosecurity research for preventing bioterrorism in the food supply

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Veterinarians are responsible for the health of all types of animals. One Health is defined as an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. The bedrock of One Health is that the health of people, domestic and wild animals, and the environment are linked and interdependent. Climate change is impacting environmental toxicants, and the environment can modulate toxic-induced, communicable, and noncommunicable diseases affecting humans, domesticated animals, and wildlife in broader ecosystems. One Health further recognizes that humans and animals share similar fundamental toxic mechanisms at molecular, cellular, organ, and systemic levels. As such, animals in shared environments have historically been shown to serve as biosentinels for human health effects. Animals and wildlife are typically affected first, a warning of what will potentially happen to humans. Because of their shorter lifespans, among other reasons, animals make suitable models for cancer caused by environmental chemicals. The goal of this Special Issue is to collect publications focusing on climate change, veterinary toxicology, and One Health. We welcome articles from all over the world on historical perspectives on the role of veterinary toxicology and One Health, case studies showcasing animals as biosentinels in toxic-induced diseases and cancer, and studies of the impact of climate change on toxic-induced diseases in animals.

Prof. Dr. Wilson Kiiza Rumbeiha
Dr. Abdel-Razak Kadry
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • climate change and animal health
  • animals as biosentinels of environmental pollution
  • pollutants and animal health
  • one health toxicology
  • veterinary toxicology
  • environmental toxicants modulating animal health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 725 KiB  
Article
Milk and Whole Blood Surveillance Following Lethal and Sublethal Lead Intoxication in a Michigan Dairy Herd
by Rachel Sheffler, Sarah Rebolloso, Isaiah Scott, John P. Buchweitz and Birgit Puschner
Toxics 2025, 13(6), 445; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13060445 - 28 May 2025
Viewed by 259
Abstract
Lead contamination in the environment affects both humans and animals. Even with the decrease in manufactured items containing lead, contaminants persist in the landscape and may enter the food supply through animal products. In cattle, lead poisoning is associated with economic losses due [...] Read more.
Lead contamination in the environment affects both humans and animals. Even with the decrease in manufactured items containing lead, contaminants persist in the landscape and may enter the food supply through animal products. In cattle, lead poisoning is associated with economic losses due to mortality and treatment costs and poses a health risk to consumers. A dairy herd was exposed to lead through feed that was contaminated with a 12-volt battery from a mixer wagon. Lead concentrations in blood and milk samples were examined over 289 days. A 2 ng/mL threshold for lead in milk was utilized to release affected cows back into the milking herd. After 289 days of surveillance, one of the five cows under milk surveillance was yet to meet this threshold. Milk lead concentrations greater than 2 ng/mL can result in lead intakes exceeding 2.2 µg/day limits for young children in the highest milk consumption group. Lead is not routinely assessed in fluid milk as a quality control step prior to processing in the United States, yet interstate commerce justifies a need for harmonized protocols for routine lead surveillance of the general milk supply and enhanced surveillance and quarantine for known food-animal exposures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perspectives in Veterinary Toxicology and One Health)
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16 pages, 2711 KiB  
Article
Chlordane-Induced Neurotoxicosis in Urban and Suburban Detroit, Michigan Striped Skunks (Mephitis mephitis)
by Rachel Sheffler, Birgit Puschner, Julie Melotti, Scott D. Fitzgerald and John P. Buchweitz
Toxics 2025, 13(5), 367; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13050367 - 1 May 2025
Viewed by 372
Abstract
Despite the ban of technical chlordane, contamination from this persistent organic pollutant has threatened wildlife and human health nearly forty years since its last application. The purpose of this study is to highlight the need for more systemic, broad-scale research efforts to monitor [...] Read more.
Despite the ban of technical chlordane, contamination from this persistent organic pollutant has threatened wildlife and human health nearly forty years since its last application. The purpose of this study is to highlight the need for more systemic, broad-scale research efforts to monitor technical chlordane in wildlife sentinel species in urban settings to understand the nature and extent of pesticide pollution and mitigate risk associated with exposure to these compounds. This study presents an unusual finding of neurotoxicosis and elevated chlordane metabolite concentrations in Michigan striped skunks in the absence of other viral or toxic etiologies. In this study, eight of seventeen skunks displaying illness and neurologic signs had brain tissue concentrations of combined oxychlordane, heptachlor epoxide, and trans-nonachlor exceeding the 1000 ng/g wet weight diagnostic threshold for toxicosis. Liver tissue concentrations were ten-fold greater than those of the brain when measured on a lipid weight basis, which can help predict lethal brain residues in skunks. The ongoing presence of chlordane in the environment is expected to cause further unintended consequences for wildlife across the Detroit Metropolitan Area for decades to come. Together, veterinary toxicologists, wildlife biologists, environmental toxicologists, ecologists, and policy makers must utilize a One Health transdisciplinary approach and continue to evaluate the long-term effects of chlordane exposure. As with other pollutants in the River Rouge and River Raisin Areas of Concern, the presence of chlordane in the urban environment presents a significant risk for animal, human, and ecological health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perspectives in Veterinary Toxicology and One Health)
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