Neurological diseases in cattle caused by plants and mycotoxins in Santa Catarina state, Brazil

Abstract

This study described the epidemiological and clinical-pathological aspects of 25 outbreaks of neurological diseases in cattle caused by plants and mycotoxins in Santa Catarina state. Six of them were due to Sida carpinifolia poisoning, five to Solanum fastigiatum, five to Phalaris angusta, three to Claviceps paspali, three to Claviceps purpurea, and three outbreaks were of unknown etiology. The clinical signs observed in the affected cattle were mild to severe and characterized by generalized muscle tremors, incoordination, hypermetria, wide-based stance, intentional head tremors, dull staring eyes, and frequent ear twitching, with convulsions in some cases. At necropsy, lesions were observed only for P. angusta poisoning, characterized by gray-greenish discoloration in thalamus and midbrain. Microscopically, rarefaction and/or disappearance of Purkinje neurons with substitution by Bergmann cells were observed for S. carpinifolia and S. fastigiatum poisoning. For P. angusta poisoning, thin granular brown-yellowish pigment was observed in the cytoplasm of some neurons. Gross and microscopic findings were not observed in three outbreaks of tremorgenic disease of unknown etiology. Experiments conducted with leaves, flowers and seeds of Ipomoea indivisa and Ipomoea triloba, as well as with maize and soybean residues contaminated with Ipomoea spp. did not reproduced clinical signs.

Aspectos epidemiológicos, clínico-patológicos e diagnóstico de raiva em animais de produção: Revisão

“…Enfermidades primárias do SNC de origem tóxica também são descritas como possíveis diagnósticos diferenciais de raiva, dentre elas intoxicações por plantas que causam doença do armazenamento lisossomal e tremorgênicas (Morais et al, 2019), intoxicação por chumbo (Lemos et al, 2004) e organofosforado (Santos et al, 2014).…”