TOXICOLOGY

General Module

Course Sheet

Academic Year of enrolment:

2019/2020

Type of Course:

Characterising

Optional/Mandatory:

Compulsory

Degree:

5-year Single Cycle Master's Degree Programme in VETERINARY MEDICINE

Disciplinary Sector:

Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology

Is part of:

PHARMACOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

DEMONTIS Maria Piera

Hours of classroom activity:

Prerequisites:

To adequately face the course, the student must have basic knowledge of subjects related to Chemistry and Biochemistry, to the morphology and physiology of the various organs and systems, to Microbiology and to General Pathology and to Pharmacology. In addition, to access the exam, the student must have passed the Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology and General Pathology exam.

AF code:

40000900

Teaching period

Single Annual Cycle

Objectives

The student must acquire the fundamentals of Toxicology through the knowledge of toxic substances and poisonings that can affect animals, as well as the prophylactic measures and the main therapeutic treatments in case of poisoning. The student acquires knowledge on the sources of potentially dangerous substances, on the influence of environmental pollution and contamination on animal health with an impact on the health of animal products intended for human consumption. The course aims to stimulate students: a) to learn about toxic and potentially dangerous substances for animal health as well as for humans; b) to identify the sources of toxic substances; c) to learn the basics necessary for the implementation of a correct diagnosis and therapy of the main intoxications

Contents

Frontal lessons (27 hours)
GENERAL TOXICOLOGY: aims of Toxicology. Sources of toxicants and factors influencing their activity. Etiology of intoxications, chemical and physico-chemical properties of the active ingredient, its toxicity and the factors that can modify it. Toxicokinetics: absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion. Toxicodynamics. Importance of doses in Toxicology (acute, subacute and chronic toxicity). Antidotism and antagonism. Prophylactic measures and therapeutic means of the main intoxications.
SPECIAL TOXICOLOGY: Toxics’ classification: inorganic and organic compounds. Pesticides: Organophosphorus, Organochlorine, Carbamates, Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids, Fungicides, Herbicides, Rodenticides, Molluscicides. Mycotoxins. Environmental pollutants. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Dioxins. Biphenylipolychlorinates. Nitrogen compounds. Fertilizers. For each class of compounds, chemical-physical properties, kinetics and mechanism of action are discussed, together with specific effects and principles of the adequate therapy to be adopted in case of intoxication.
Practical training sessions (9 hours)
The practical training sessions exercises are carried out in 4 groups; each group is composed by 6-7 students to better guarantee the quality of teaching.
Topics of practical training sessions:
Identification, determination and quantification of aflatoxins in feed. Nitrite dosage with spectrophotometric method.
In the emergency health phase of COVID-19 both lectures and practical teaching will be carried out in presence and/ or distance mode using the Microsoft Teams platform according to the schedule.

Recommended Bibliography

MENGOZZI, SOLDANI – Tossicologia Veterinaria. – Editore Idelson-Gnocchi 2010
CASARETT & DOULL’S – Tossicologia. - I fondamenti dell’azione delle sostanze tossiche. 7/edizione, EMSI. 2010

TOXICOLOGY

Course year: 1

Course year: 2

Course year: 3

Course year: 4

Course year: 5

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TOXICOLOGY