VLD 421: Veterinary Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnosis-II (0+1)

Introduction

NITRATE AND NITRITE TOXICITY

• Nitrate and Nitrite toxicity is fairly common in ruminants,pigs,and fowls.
• Nitrates are naturally present in soil, forages, ground water, silages, decaying organic matter.
• Nitrate as it less toxic.but it gets converted into nitrite in the rumen or in the forage/ silage as an intermediary product before being converted into ammonia which is more toxic (6- 10 times more toxic than nitrate).
• Anything increases nitrate concentratioin in the soil and water may results in toxicosis through crops and water.
• Nitrite interacts with hemoglobulin and converts them to methemoglobin by the process of oxidation.
• This contribute  to the tissue, oxygen starvation and death.