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Castor beans (Ricinus communis) contain ricin, which is one of the most toxic substances of plant origin. Ricin toxicosis has been reported in different countries with usually ingestion of castor beans or plants in both animals and humans. However, ricin toxicosis by ingestion of some products containing castor oil cake has rarely been reported. This paper describes outbreaks of dog death by ricin toxicosis after accidental ingestion of the same soil conditioner. Fifteen dogs showed toxic symptoms such as severe vomiting, abdominal pain and hemorrhagic diarrhea, and then thirteen dogs died in a few days. The soil conditioner dogs ingested consisted of 10% castor oil cake containing ricin. On the basis of clinical signs, laboratory and pathologic findings, a diagnosis of ricin toxicosis was established in the present case. In comparison with previous cases by ingestion of castor beans, the dogs' morbidity was very high in the present case. The ingestion of castor oil cake may be more dangerous to life than the castor beans. It is because mortality by ingestion of castor beans depends on the degree of mastication of the beans, whereas ricin in oil cake is easily absorbed from the stomach and the intestines. As ricin is a heat-labile toxin, products containing ricin or oil cake should be properly treated with heat and have written caution sentences about toxicosis, and be kept out of reach of domestic animals and children.
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PMID:Fetal death of dogs after the ingestion of a soil conditioner. 1993 3

Since the late 70s of the last century there were more than 700 incidents related to the use of the ricin toxin. For this reason, CDC (Center of Disease Control and Prevention) recognized toxin as a biological weapon category B. The lethal dose of ricin toxin after parenteral administration is 0.0001 mg/kg and after oral administration 0.2 mg. The first symptoms of poisoning occur within a few hours after application of toxin as a nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In the final stage there are observed: cardiac arrhythmia, collapse and symptoms suggestive of involvement of the central nervous system. Stage immediately preceding death is a state of coma. The ricin toxin is still the substance against which action has no optimal antidote. Developed a vaccine called RiVax is waiting for its registration. It should be pointed out that the availability of a ricin toxin makes it possible to use it for real bioterrorists.
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PMID:[Today's threat of ricin toxin]. 2644 79

Seeds of the castor bean plant Ricinuscommunis L (CB) contain ricin toxin (RT), one of the most poisonous naturally-occurring substances known. Ricin toxin, a water-soluble glycoprotein that does not partition into the oil extract, is a ribosome-inactivating toxin composed of two chains, labeled A and B. Severity of the toxicity varies depending on the route of exposure to the toxin. Inhalational is the most toxic route, followed by oral ingestion. Orally-ingested RT accumulates in the liver and spleen but other cells are also affected. The main clinical manifestations are also related to the administration route. Oral ingestion of CB or RT results in abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and various types of gastrointestinal bleeding that leading to volume depletion, hypovolemic shock, and renal failure. Inhalation of the toxin presents with non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema, diffuse necrotizing pneumonia, interstitial and alveolar inflammation, and edema. Local injection of RT induces indurations at the injection site, swelling of regional lymph nodes, hypotension, and death. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed to detect RT in animal tissues and fluids. Ricinine, an alkaloid of CB, can be detected in rat urine within 48 h of RT exposure. Supportive care is the basic treatment and standard biowarfare decontamination protocols are used for RT intoxication. Dexamethasone and difluoromethylornithine might be effective treatments. This review examines the clinical and molecular aspects of ricin toxicity.
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PMID:Ricin Toxicity: Clinical and Molecular Aspects. 2753 98