Poison Frog Research Articles

A prospective study on clinical signs, management, outcomes, and delayed neurologic sequelae due to metaldehyde poisoning in 26 dogs.

Metaldehyde poisoning in dogs is well known and described issue. Several studies focused on the incidence, epidemiological features, and clinical and pathological findings associated with this intoxication. However, there are no prospective studies of metaldehyde poisoning and late-onset seizures. To prospectively describe clinical signs, therapeutic management, outcomes, and delayed-onset seizures due to metaldehyde poisoning in dogs. A 15-month prospective study on dogs with a diagnosis of metaldehyde poisoning, either via phone call to the animal poison control center or analysis at the toxicology laboratory in Lyon, France. Clinical signs, therapeutic management and outcomes, and the late onset of seizures were assessed for at least 3 years. Twenty-six dogs were enrolled in the study. The most prevalent clinical signs were ataxia (18 dogs), convulsions (17), hypersalivation (15), and tremors (15). Treatment was symptomatic (e.g., activated charcoal, emetic therapy, and intravenous fluids) with anticonvulsant therapy (mainly diazepam). The overall survival rate was 81% (21/26 dogs). All dogs that received active charcoal (11/11) or emetic therapy (4/4) survived. Twelve of 17 dogs had convulsions and survived; 9 were followed up for at least 3 years after poisoning, and none had any other seizure episode or neurological sequelae. This prospective study describes clinical signs, therapeutic management and outcome of metaldehyde poisoning in dogs, and late-onset neurologic sequelae. None of the nine cases that were followed for 3 years developed neurological signs after metaldehyde poisoning. Therefore, long-term antiepileptic therapy is not indicated.

Eyes Instead of Ears: Eye Injuries Following Ocular Exposure to Otic Medications.

To determine the epidemiology of ocular exposures and toxicoses in dogs and cats from otic products, 79 dog and cat cases with an ocular exposure to a topical otic medication were retrieved from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Animal Poison Control Center database. Prescription products were involved in 75/79 (95%) of cases, and over-the-counter products in 4 (5%). Clinical signs included conjunctivitis, blepharospasm, epiphora, ocular discharge, and corneal ulceration. Medication error, specifically involving mistaken identification (i.e., an otic product confused with an ophthalmic product), occurred in 68/79 (86%) of cases. In 4 of these 68 cases, an otic instead of an ophthalmic medication was mistakenly dispensed to the pet owner. Unintentional delivery (i.e., accidental ocular exposure in the course of an otic application) occurred in 9/79 (11%) of cases, and 2 (3%) cases involved intentional delivery of otic products to the eyes. Because mistaken identification was the most common cause of ocular toxicoses from otic products, separate storage and/or distinctive packaging for ophthalmic versus otic products could reduce medication errors. Animal poison control center epidemiological data can be used as a source of information regarding veterinary medication errors.

Decoupled auditory perception from acoustic signal divergence hinders species recognition in territorial poison frogs

Decoupled auditory perception from acoustic signal divergence hinders species recognition in territorial poison frogs

Detection of insecticide detoxification enzymes activities in Aedes aegypti mosquito, the vector of dengue fever in Saudi Arabia

In this study, the sensitivity of Aedes aegypti mosquitoe larvae to four types of pesticides two phosphorous-based and two pyrethroid insecticides was investigated. The larvae revealed approximately 1.126-fold more susceptibility to Safrotin (LC50 = 0.127 ppm) than Fendure (LC50 = 0.143) in the case of phosphorous-based pesticides and approximately 1.265-fold more susceptibility to AlphaQuest (LC50 = 0.0347 ppm) than Klash (LC50 = 0.0439) in the case of pyrothroid insecticides. Comparison between groups revealed that AlphaQuest was more effective than Klash, Safrotin and Fendure by approximately 1.3, 3.6 and 4.1-fold, respectively. The presence of enzyme activities relevant to insecticide resistance was often evaluated using enzyme assays to detect the underlying resistance mechanisms that may not be detected using bioassays. In this study, the results revealed significant decrease in the activity of esterase, glutathione- S- transferase and acetylcholine esterase enzymes to varying degrees. There were significant increases in catalase and total glutathione activity in all treatments compared to the control. The study concluded that this variation in enzyme activities is due to the type and purity of the additive compound and the source and purity of the active ingredient. The study recommends using the catalase enzyme and total glutathione as a biomarker indication for pesticide synergistic intoxication in aquatic animals.

Intoxicación en cachorra tras ingesta accidental de tinta de imprenta: Reporte de caso

Several cases of exogenous poisoning in pets or wild animals are treated in veterinary clinics and hospitals each year. Whether accidental or intentional, they occur mainly in the domestic environment and are associated with various toxic substances. The present study aimed to report a case of exogenous intoxication in a 4-month-old female German shepherd dog after accidental ingestion of printing ink. To aid and develop this work, an integrative literature review study was also used to list the main heavy metals that make up the pigments and structure of printer cartridges: arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead, chromium, silver and selenium, their respective mechanisms of action and clinical signs in intoxicated animals. In that report, topics were included about the initial clinical picture, the clinical procedure performed with the patient, the anamnesis, the therapy (Ornitil, Ringer Lactate and Furosemide), the evolution of the case and the discharge of the patient with guidance to the tutor. The databases established for the research were BVS, PubMed and Google Scholar from March to June 2022. The work was a case report, in which the databases established for the research were BVS, PubMed and Google Scholar from March to June 2022. The descriptors used were cão (dog), intoxicação (intoxication) and tinta (ink), with a defined time frame from 2000 to 2020.

Can North American animal poison control center call data provide early warning of outbreaks associated with contaminated pet food? Using the 2007 melamine pet food contamination incident as a case study.

The 2007 melamine pet food contamination incident highlighted the need for enhanced reporting of toxicological exposures and development of a national quantitative disease surveillance system for companion animals. Data from poison control centers, such as the Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), may be useful for conducting real-time surveillance in this population. In this study, we explored the suitability of APCC call data for early warning of toxicological incidents in companion animal populations by using a-priori knowledge of the melamine-related nephrotoxicosis outbreak. Patient and household-level information regarding possible toxicological exposures in dogs and cats reported to the APCC from 2005 to 2007, inclusive, were extracted from the APCC's AnTox database. These data were used to examine the impact of surveillance outcome, statistical methodology, analysis level, and call source on the ability to detect the outbreak prior to the voluntary recall issued by the pet food manufacturer. Retrospective Poisson temporal scan tests were applied for each combination of outcome, method, level, and call source. The results showed that month-adjusted scans using syndromic data may have been able to help detect the outbreak up to two months prior to the voluntary recall although the success of these methods varied across call sources. We also demonstrated covariate month-adjustment can lead to vastly different results based on the surveillance outcome and call source to which it is applied. This illustrates care should be taken prior to arbitrarily selecting a surveillance outcome and statistical model for surveillance efforts and warns against ignoring the impacts of call source or key covariates when applying quantitative surveillance methods to APCC call data since these factors can lead to very different results. This study provides further evidence that APCC call data may be useful for conducting surveillance in the US companion animal population and further exploratory analyses and validation studies are warranted.

Poison frog dietary preference depends on prey type and alkaloid load.

The ability to acquire chemical defenses through the diet has evolved across several major taxa. Chemically defended organisms may need to balance chemical defense acquisition and nutritional quality of prey items. However, these dietary preferences and potential trade-offs are rarely considered in the framework of diet-derived defenses. Poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) acquire defensive alkaloids from their arthropod diet of ants and mites, although their dietary preferences have never been investigated. We conducted prey preference assays with the Dyeing Poison frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) to test the hypothesis that alkaloid load and prey traits influence frog dietary preferences. We tested size preferences (big versus small) within each of four prey groups (ants, beetles, flies, and fly larvae) and found that frogs preferred interacting with smaller prey items of the fly and beetle groups. Frog taxonomic prey preferences were also tested as we experimentally increased their chemical defense load by feeding frogs decahydroquinoline, an alkaloid compound similar to those naturally found in their diet. Contrary to our expectations, overall preferences did not change during alkaloid consumption, as frogs across groups preferred fly larvae over other prey. Finally, we assessed the protein and lipid content of prey items and found that small ants have the highest lipid content while large fly larvae have the highest protein content. Our results suggest that consideration of toxicity and prey nutritional value are important factors in understanding the evolution of acquired chemical defenses and niche partitioning.

Maternal Provisioning of Alkaloid Defenses are Present in Obligate but not Facultative Egg Feeding Dendrobatids.

Poison frogs sequester alkaloid defenses from a diet of largely mites and ants. As a result, frogs are defended against certain predators and microbial infections. Frogs in the genus Oophaga exhibit complex maternal care, wherein mothers transport recently hatched tadpoles to nursery pools and return regularly to supply developing tadpoles with unfertilized (nutritive) eggs. Developing tadpoles are obligate egg feeders. Further, female O. pumilio and O. sylvatica maternally provision their nutritive eggs with alkaloid defenses, providing protection to their developing tadpoles at a vulnerable life-stage. In another genus of poison frog, Ranitomeya, tadpoles only receive and consume eggs facultatively, and it is currently unknown if mothers also provision these eggs (and thus their tadpoles) with alkaloid defenses. Here, we provide evidence that mother frogs of another species in the genus Oophaga (Oophaga granulifera) also provision alkaloid defenses to their tadpoles. We also provide evidence that Ranitomeya imitator and R. variabilis eggs and tadpoles do not contain alkaloids, suggesting that mother frogs in this genus do not provision alkaloid defenses to their offspring. Our findings suggest that among dendrobatid poison frogs, maternal provisioning of alkaloids may be restricted to the obligate egg-feeding members of Oophaga.

A Case of Amphetamine and Methamphetamine Intoxication in Cat.

Stimulants belonging to the amphetamine group nowadays pose an undeniable worldwide threat to the life and health of users. Intoxications of domestic animals also occur, which can either be accidental or related to intentional human action. This study presents the first ever reported case of a simultaneous amphetamine and methamphetamine intoxication of a cat, along with the results of toxicological studies. Blood, urine, vitreous humor and liver were collected during the cat's autopsy and analyzed by UHPLC─QqQ─MS/MS. The sample preparation technique was based on one-step precipitation of proteins with cold acetonitrile. The determined amphetamine concentrations in the collected biological materials were 93.4 ng/mL in blood, 496.6 ng/mL in urine, 589.2 ng/mL in the vitreous humor and 291.2 ng/g in liver, respectively. Methamphetamine concentrations were 45.5 ng/mL in blood, 263.1 ng/mL in urine, 351.2 ng/mL in vitreous humor, and 97.7 ng/g in liver. Other substances were also found in the biological material, i.e., diazepam, oxazepam and nordiazepam. Cases of intentional or accidental poisoning of pets with psychoactive substances are a serious problem, carrying the risk to the health and life of the animal. Therefore, it is important to increase awareness of the high risk of poisoning of domestic animals, as well as to learn about the incompletely understood mechanisms of pharmacokinetics of various drugs in animals, including cats.

COMPARISON OF EFFECTS OF FULLERENE C60 AND METHYL METHACRYLATE ON MASS INDEX OF INTERNAL ORGANS IN ANIMALS

In the clinic of orthopaedic dentistry, diseases of the mucous membrane caused by wearing removable dentures occupy a special place because the frequency of their occurrence and according to various authors varies from 15 to 70% of patients. Denture stomatitis is a complication resulting from wearing laminar dentures made of acrylates, which contain residual monomers having a chemical-toxic effect.
 The purpose of the study is to determine the mass coefficient of internal organs in order to assess the toxic effect of C60 fullerene on the body of rats and subsequent introduction of the material into the clinic of orthopedic dentistry.
 Objects and methods. The study was carried out on male rats divided into three groups of six animals each: I group included intact control rats; II group included animals received food with C60 fullerene; III group included animals received injectable methyl methacrylate. Conditionally therapeutic dose of fullerene C60 and methyl methacrylate was 1 ml/kg each. The studied samples were administered to rats through a metal probe every day once a day for 21 days.
 The state of peripheral blood, the functional state of the liver and the mass coefficient of the internal organs of the studied animals enable to evaluate and compare the toxic effect of fullerene C60 and methyl methacrylate.
 Results. The study has shown the introduction of C60 fullerene did not cause visible signs of intoxication and lethal consequences in the experimental animals. No animals of the main group (fullerene C60) and the comparison group (methyl methacrylate) died after the 21-day study. There were also no significant violations of the general condition and behaviour of the animals. The physiological state of experimental rats did not differ from control rats.
 In the group of intact control males, a significant increase in the body weight of rats compared to the initial values ​​was noted by 8% in the 2nd week and by 20% in the 3rd week of observation. In groups of animals that were injected with fullerene C60 and methyl methacrylate, the body weight dynamics as a whole was similar to the body weight dynamics of intact control animals. The obtained indicators point out the absence of a harmful effect of the studied drug on the physiological processes of rats.
 Administration of the nanopreparation did not have a harmful effect on internal organs (liver, heart, lungs, spleen, adrenal glands), with the exception of the kidneys and thymus, where certain changes were observed. The relative mass of the kidneys decreased statistically significantly when fullerene C60 was used, and the mass of the thymus, on the contrary, increased. Despite the statistical differences between the groups, the values ​​of the kidney mass coefficient for the use of the nanopreparation are within the physiological range and cannot be considered critical. An increase in the mass of the thymus against the background of fullerene use probably occurs as a result of the activation of the immune system upon the introduction of the investigated agent. However, hematological studies did not reveal pathological deviations in the leukocyte blood formula and significant activation of immunological processes, so it can be assumed that the increase in thymus mass coefficient is not a consequence of the toxic effect of C60 fullerene.
 Conclusion. The use of Fullerene C60 for 21 days, based on the results obtained, does not have a toxic effect on the organs and systems of male rats, does not cause any intoxication reactions and does not lead to fatal consequences.

Experimental evidence in a poison frog model suggests that tadpole transport on the dorsum may affects warning signal effectiveness in poison frogs

Experimental evidence in a poison frog model suggests that tadpole transport on the dorsum may affects warning signal effectiveness in poison frogs

Occupational health surveillance and detection of emerging occupational diseases among Taiwan farmers, through analysis of national-based farmers' and medico-administrative databases.

The purpose of this study was to identify occupational injuries and diseases associated with agriculture in Asia, to provide a reference for prevention and hypotheses for future research. We matched data on agricultural workers (n = 963,124) enrolled in Taiwan's national Farmers Health Insurance since its inception in 1989, to general population controls of the same age, gender, and township. The study population was linked to the National Health Insurance Research Database from 2001 to 2016 for inpatient cases. Logistic regression was used to assess odds ratios for outcomes. Farmers had 2.76 times the risk of mycotic corneal ulcer (95% CI: 1.96-3.87) and 1.65 times the risk of typhus fever infections (95% CI: 1.47-1.85) compared to the general population. The odds ratio for poisonous animal bites was 2.22 (95% CI: 2.07-2.38), for falling into a storm drain or manhole was 2.04 (95% CI: 1.30-3.20), and for toxic effects from pesticides was 2.01 (95% CI: 1.92-2.11). The toxic effects of organophosphate and carbamate insecticides were correlated with the cultivation of rice, fruit trees, and flowers. Q fever and motorcycle accidents were associated with fruit tree cultivation. The study identifies agricultural occupational injuries and diseases that may inform occupational health policy and the development of prevention priorities to prevent occupational hazards for farmers.

Examining the differential use of a North American animal poison control call center by veterinarians and the public for dog-related calls.

Tele-triage, a subset of telehealth services, is becoming increasingly common, they offer users the ability to receive credible health advice from licensed professionals in the comfort of their own home. In the field of veterinary medicine, tele-triage services have been employed since the early 2000s, but there has been little examination of how these services are used by callers. The objectives of this study were to explore how the use of an animal poison control center (APCC) tele-triage service varied between veterinarians and the public in terms of toxicant type, animal demographics, availability of veterinary services, as well as seasonal and secular trends. Data regarding dog poisoning events were obtained from the APCC of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' (ASPCA). We fitted a mixed logistic regression model with random intercepts for county and state and identified associations between caller type and the following: animal characteristics (i.e., age, weight, breed-class), type of toxicant, season, year, and access to veterinary services (i.e., veterinarians per capita in the county of the caller). The model included interaction effects between season and both plant and pesticide toxicants. There was also an interaction between year and access to veterinary care. Further investigations are needed to understand how the novelty of a toxicant and the severity of clinical signs associated with a toxicant predict the type of caller, if pet demographics are associated with the caller based on medical issues or owner attitudes, and how access to veterinary care influences the use of this tele-triage service.

Contrasting parental roles shape sex differences in poison frog space use but not navigational performance.

Sex differences in vertebrate spatial abilities are typically interpreted under the adaptive specialization hypothesis, which posits that male reproductive success is linked to larger home ranges and better navigational skills. The androgen spillover hypothesis counters that enhanced male spatial performance may be a byproduct of higher androgen levels. Animal groups that include species where females are expected to outperform males based on life-history traits are key for disentangling these hypotheses. We investigated the association between sex differences in reproductive strategies, spatial behavior, and androgen levels in three species of poison frogs. We tracked individuals in natural environments to show that contrasting parental sex roles shape sex differences in space use, where the sex performing parental duties shows wider-ranging movements. We then translocated frogs from their home areas to test their navigational performance and found that the caring sex outperformed the non-caring sex only in one out of three species. In addition, males across species displayed more explorative behavior than females and androgen levels correlated with explorative behavior and homing accuracy. Overall, we reveal that poison frog reproductive strategies shape movement patterns but not necessarily navigational performance. Together this work suggests that prevailing adaptive hypotheses provide an incomplete explanation of sex differences in spatial abilities.

Detection of Highly Poisonous Nerium oleander Using Quantitative Real-Time PCR with Specific Primers.

Nerium oleander is one of the most poisonous plants, and its accidental ingestion has frequently occurred in humans and livestock. It is vital to develop a rapid and accurate identification method for the timely rescue of oleander-poisoned patients and the investigation of poisoning cases. In this study, a specific and highly sensitive quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR)-based method was developed to identify oleander in mixture systems and simulated forensic specimens (SFS). First, a new pair of oleander-specific primers, JZT-BF/BR, was designed and validated. Then, a qPCR method was developed using the primers, and its detective sensitivity was examined. The results showed that JZT-BF/BR could specifically identify oleander in forage and food mixtures, and qPCR was capable of accurate authentication even at a low DNA concentration of 0.001 ng/μL. This method was further applied to the analysis of SFS containing different ratios of N. oleander. The method was confirmed to be applicable to digested samples, and the detection limit reached 0.1% (w/w) oleander in mixture systems. Thus, this study undoubtedly provides strong support for the detection of highly toxic oleander and the diagnosis of food poisoning in humans and animals.

Biopreparations as an agro-ecological factor enhancement of biosafety in agrocenoses

The problem of environmentalization of agricultural production is extremely important in a scientific and applied sense, the main task of which is to provide the population with food products, prevent crop losses from harmful objects, and protect the environment from excessive chemical load. Accordingly, an alternative solution in overcoming the negative consequences of chemicalization of agricultural production and improving the quality of seed products is the use of environmentally safe plant protection measures. Protection against phytopathogenic microorganisms is an important component of technologies for growing various crops. After all, in soybean agrocenoses there is an accumulation of an infectious background of phytopathogenic micromycetes, among which species of the genus Penicillium, Aspergillus, Alternaria, and Fusarium predominate, which can cause outbreaks of many plant diseases (root rot, Alternaria, Fusarium, late blight, anthracnose, cercosporosis). Phytotoxic metabolites of necrotrophic phytopathogenic fungi, which are able to accumulate in soil, seeds and plant residues, deserve special attention. After all, mycotoxins lead to a decrease in the yield and quality of grain, as well as the quality of food products, which negatively affects their ecological safety, and this, in turn, can cause poisoning of humans and animals. The use of biofungicides is aimed at controlling diseases and reducing their harmful effects. Seed treatment leads to disinfection of seed material and protection of young plants from various infections. Therefore, the use of useful microorganisms, which are part of biological preparations, which effectively affect the processes of functioning of agroecosystems, is relevant.

LEVANTAMENTO DE PLANTAS ESPONTÂNEAS EM PLANTIOS DE FORRAGEIRAS NO AGRESTE ALAGOANO

Plants, in general, are distributed in lat of places and always come together with the human being, since the beginning of their evolution. But there are some species with are considered undesirable, because it preclude the productivity of the forage, and can cause intoxication in animals. There are ruderal plants everywhere and are properly know as bush ,weeds or invasive plants .The objective of this research was perform the taxonomic and eltnobatany characterization in the ruderal vegetation in pasture from the waste Alagoano. The study was performed in the cities of Arapiraca, Girau do Ponciano ,Lagoa da Canoa , Feira Grande, São Sebastião , and desenvolved in a qualitative and descriptive approach .The execution of this work occurred in a period of August 2013 to December. At first ,happened the characterization of the research , signed by the Free and Informed Consent Term and answering the had about the ruderal plants. After, the plants are collected families to khowing: Rubiacea, Lamiacea , Malvaceace ,Solanareace , Asteracea , Poaceace ,Cyperacea , Cucurbitacea . The result showed the Asteraceae as the family with the biggest number of speries amorg the forage. Beside that, noticed that ,there are difficulty to the farmer in the management of the foragem ,once the ruderal plants are there . In this sense ,the absence of information about this kind of vegetation increase the amount ruderal plants in the several pasture and agricultural crops, once there aren´t technical recommendation of management and cultural treats for implantation, recommendation or pasture´s conduction .

Robusta coffee extracts inhibit quorum sensing activity in Chromobacterium violaceum and reduce biofilms against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus.

Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus cause foodborne intoxication in humans and animals. Pathogens can produce biofilms controlled by the quorum sensing system. The study aimed to investigate the antibacterial, antibiofilm, and anti-quorum sensing activities of Coffea canephora P. ex Fr. (Robusta coffee) extracts against B. cereus and S. aureus. Ethanol extracts of fruit peels and seeds of Robusta coffee were tested for antibacterial activity against B. cereus and S. aureus using a broth microdilution assay. Reduction of the biofilm formation and elimination of the viability of mature biofilm-grown cells of B. cereus and S. aureus were determined. Inhibition of quorum sensing activity in Chromobacterium violaceum by the extracts was investigated using the disk diffusion method and flask incubation assay. Fresh fruit peel extract showed the strongest antibacterial activity against B. cereus and S. aureus with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 2 and 4 mg/mL, respectively. However, the extracts did not inhibit Escherichia coli, avian pathogenic E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 8 mg/mL. Significant inhibition of biofilm formation at 1/2 × MIC of the fresh peel extract was detected in B. cereus (56.37%) and S. aureus (39.69 %), respectively. At 8 × MIC of the fresh peel extract, a significant elimination of the mature biofilm viability was detected in B. cereus (92.48%) and S. aureus (74.49%), respectively. The results showed that fresh and dried peel fruit extracts at 1/2 × MIC significantly reduced violacein production with the highest percentage inhibition ranging from 44.53 to 47.48% at 24 h (p ≤ 0.05). The results of the present study suggest the potential therapeutic benefits of Robusta coffee extracts in inhibiting the growth, biofilm, and quorum sensing of both B. cereus and S. aureus. The results put forward an alternative strategy to control the foodborne intoxications caused by both pathogens.

Chicken: A History from Farmyard to Factory

Chicken: A History from Farmyard to Factory

Mercury chloride toxicity attenuation of the Brine Shrimp Artemia Salina after treatment with Mercurius corrosivus as isotherapic


 Isotherapics prepared from toxic substances have been described as attenuation factors for heavy metal intoxication in aquatic animals. Herein, Artemia salina and mercury chloride were used as a model to identify treatment-related bioresilience. The aim was to describe the effects of Mercurius corrosivus (MC) in different potencies on Artemia salina cyst hatching and on mercury bioavailability. Artemia salina cysts were exposed to 5.0 µg/mL of mercury chloride during the hatching phase. MC 6cH, 30cH, and 200cH were prepared and poured into artificial seawater. Different controls were used (nonchallenged cysts and challenged cysts treated with water, succussed water, and Ethilicum 1cH). Four series of nine experiments were performed for 4 weeks to evaluate the percentage of cyst hatching considering all moon phases. Soluble total mercury (THg) levels and precipitated mercury content were also evaluated. Solvatochromic dyes were used to check for eventual physicochemical markers of MC biological activity. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with mixed models was used for evaluating the effect of different treatments and the simultaneous influence of the moon phases on the cysts hatching rate, at both observation times (24 and 48 hours). When necessary, outliers were removed, using the Tukey criterion. The level of significance α was set at 5%. Significant delay (p<0.0001) in cyst hatching was observed after treatment with MC 30cH, compared with the controls. An increase in THg concentration in seawater (p<0.0018) and of chlorine/oxygen ratio (p<0.0001) in suspended micro-aggregates was also seen, with possible relation with mercury bioavailability. Specific interaction of MC 30cH with the solvatochromic dye ET33 (p<0.0017) was found. The other observed potencies of Mercurius corrosivus 6 and 200 cH were not significant in relation to the observed groups. The results were postulated as being protective effects of MC 30cH on Artemia salina, by improving its bioresilience.