Yew poisoning of olive baboons (Papio anubis) in captivity: laboratory diagnosis

OBJECTIVES: Toxic effects of the yew have been known since ancient times. Yew toxicity is due to the content of cyanogenic glycosides and a mixture of alkaloids known as taxines. Taxine B is probably responsible for the most part of adverse effects in poisoned organisms. This particular taxoid is common in body fluids of the yew-poisoned. The present study is engaged with laboratory examination to confirm substances that lead to fatality of a pair of olive baboons ( Papio anubis) following ingestion of yew seeds. When both cage mates (male and female) died suddenly, poisoning was suspected because many berries had fallen into the cage from a nearby fruiting yew tree ( Taxus baccata) during the windy night before. METHODS: The analysis was performed using el ectrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A flow injection analysis/mass spectrometry setting was prepared for this purpose. RESULTS: The above mentioned mass spectrometry analysis of taxoids confirmed poisoning by taxanes. The presence of taxin B/isotaxin B was confirmed in all investigated samples. Apparently in urine and bile there were concentrations ranging 150–220 ng.mL –1 and in blood serum concentrations 25–30 ng.mL –1 . CONCLUSION: It follows from the results obtained that we confirmed that baboons were deadly intoxicated by yew fruits.