Lectures (25 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 (8 hours)
Practice hours are held in the following sites: Didactic Laboratory and Veterinary Didactic Hospital (clinical rounds). Practical trainings are carried out in 3 groups to better guarantee didactic quality; each group consists of a number of about 10-12 students. Clinical rounds groups are composed of two students each.
Training topics of practical trainings (decided each year):
Identification, determination and quantification of aflatoxins in feed. Nitrite dosage with spectrophotometric method. Didactic Veterinary Hospital (clinical rounds): clinical signs of some intoxication cases in animals. Identify differences between therapeutic and toxic effects. Check of the educational goals acquired in the Didactic Veterinary Hospital during the exam.

In the event of cases of positivity to COVID-19, lectures will be carried out remotely using the Microsoft Teams platform in accordance with current regulations.