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Tolerance to, and metabolism of, fluoroacetate in the Emu
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Tolerance to, and metabolism of, fluoroacetate in the Emu

L.E. Twigg, D.R. King, H.M. Davis, D.A. Saunders and R.J. Mead
Wildlife Research, Vol.15(3), pp.239-247
1988
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Abstract

Compared with most other birds, the emu, Dromaius novaehollandiae Vieillot, has unusually high tolerance to fluoroacetate (1080). The LD5o for emus with evolutionary exposure to fluoroacetate- bearing vegetation in the south-west of Western Australia was 102 mg of 1080 per kilogram. This tolerance appears to result from: the substantial capacity of emus to detoxify fluoroacetate by defluorination; the limited conversion of fluoroacetate into fluorocitrate by emus; and/or their possession of an aconitate hydratase which is relatively insensitive to fluorocitrate.

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