RESUMO
A field grazing trial was undertaken to monitor the health and production of crossbred sheep grazing pasture where Echium plantagineum constituted a considerable proportion of the available forage. The trial, conducted for 19 months over successive grazing seasons, demonstrated a significant difference in production, with sheep on the E. plantagineum pasture being lighter and growing less wool compared with sheep on Echium-free pasture. No mortalities involving pyrrolizidine alkaloid poisoning were recorded in sheep grazing E. plantagineum, although there was histological evidence of moderately severe liver damage associated with high liver copper concentrations in at least one sheep following the grazing of large quantities of the plant.
Assuntos
Hepatopatias/veterinária , Intoxicação por Plantas/veterinária , Alcaloides de Pirrolizidina/intoxicação , Doenças dos Ovinos/etiologia , Criação de Animais Domésticos , Animais , Aspartato Aminotransferases/sangue , Biópsia , Peso Corporal , Cobre/metabolismo , Cobre/intoxicação , Feminino , Hepatopatias/etiologia , Hepatopatias/patologia , Valor Nutritivo , Intoxicação por Plantas/patologia , Plantas Tóxicas/metabolismo , Alcaloides de Pirrolizidina/metabolismo , Estações do Ano , Ovinos , Doenças dos Ovinos/patologia , Lã , gama-Glutamiltransferase/sangueRESUMO
Prolonged contact between silicone-treated stoppers in evacuated tubes and serum was found to interfere in estimation of serum copper concentration using atomic absorption spectrophotometry.
