Subacute and chronic toxic hepatopathy in cattle grazing pasture with Crotalaria spectabilis.

This report describes subacute and chronic toxic hepatopathy in cattle due to Crotalaria spectabilis poisoning. A total of 200 male Nellore cattle were introduced into a paddock contaminated with C. spectabilis. After spending 20 days grazing in this area, 6 cattle became ill and died. The remaining 194 cattle were moved to non-contaminated pasture in a nearby farm and, 45 days after arrival, 15 cattle became ill and died. Three affected cattle were necropsied. The main clinical changes consisted of anorexia, isolation from the herd, weight loss, jaundice, recumbency, and death. The primary lesions were observed in the liver. Subacutely poisoned cattle had slightly firm livers with an accentuated lobular pattern. Histologically, hepatocyte loss with dilated sinusoids, hepatomegalocytosis, and fibrosis was observed. Cattle with chronic disease had small, pale, firm livers with an irregular hepatic capsular surface. Microscopic changes included hepatocyte loss, hepatomegalocytosis, bile duct proliferation, and fibrosis.

Range and Pasture Plants Likely to Poison Horses.

Range and pasture toxic plants can poison horses. Many of these plants are noxious weeds that can dominate plant populations and replace healthy forages. Poisoning is often difficult to diagnose as the resulting plant-induced disease is similar to other infectious, toxic, and nutritional diseases. Identifying potentially problem plants, and observing what plants horses are eating, is essential in determining the risk of poisoning. If the risk is significant, it can drive management to invest in strategies to avoid exposure, animal disease, and suffering.

Plants that Contaminate Feed and Forage and Poison Horses: Equine Ttxicology.

Many toxic plants are unpalatable to horses and are not eaten when alternative forage is available. However, when such plants contaminate prepared or baled feed and forage, herd competition and improved palatability can alter acceptance and thereby cause equine plant poisonings. Dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloid-containing plants; cocklebur; Salvia reflexa; kleingrass, switchgrass, and other saponin-containing grasses; jimson weed, black henbane, and other tropane alkaloid-containing plants; lantana; Cassia spp and other myotoxic plants; castor bean; cyanogenic glycoside-containing plants; thiaminase-containing plants; and hoary alyssum are among those that most commonly poison horses in North America via contaminated feed or forage.

[Exposures to fruit plants in Germany from 2010-2019 : Analysis of the Erfurt joint poison information center database]. / Expositionen mit Fruchtpflanzen in Deutschland im Zeitraum 2010­2019 : Auswertung der Datenbank des Gemeinsamen Giftinformationszentrums Erfurt (GGIZ).

BACKGROUND: Inquiries about fruit plants are a frequent reason for consultation with poison information centers, although it should be emphasized that there are no large systematic studies on toxicity based on exposure data. The aim of this work is to determine the risk of poisoning by fruit plants in Germany. METHODS: Retrospective study of data from the Erfurt Joint Poison Information Center on poisoning inquiries regarding fruit plants (2010-2019) with a detailed presentation of interim results, a tabular handout, plant photos as identification aids, and trend analyses. RESULTS: From 16,088 plant exposures with 16,700 plants, 214 different fruit plant species were identified. Forty-five fruit plant species (21%) turned out to be relevant (≥ 30 inquiries) and of these, 6 (2.8%) turned out to be highly relevant (≥ 300 inquiries). All relevant plants were assigned a defined risk category (RC): RC 0 (2; 4.4%), RC 1 (26; 57.8%), RC 2 (12; 26.7%), and RC 3 (5; 11.1%). Regarding the inquiries, 6% (459/7607) were related to RC 0; 47.9% (3645/7607) to RC 1; 39.3% to RC 2 (2986/7607); and 6.8% (517/7607) to RC 3. Of the inquiries, 69.5% (5284/7607) were related to young children (1 to < 6 years). Exposure outcomes for all age groups were asymptomatic in 82%, mild in 14.7%, moderate in 3%, and severe in 0.3%, with severe poisoning caused by seven plant species. Interventions were initiated in 66.8% (5079) of the inquiries. Inquiries were most frequently related to Taxus baccata, Ligustrum vulgare, Physalis alkekengi, Prunus laurocerasus, Convallaria majalis, Mahonia spec., Sambucus spec., Lonicera spec., Sorbus aucuparia, Thuja spec., Hedera helix, and Cotoneaster spec. DISCUSSION: Poisoning by fruit plants in Germany is rare. However, there is a great need for information and education.

Seasonal Variability in Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Jacobaea alpina from the Trentino-Alto Adige Region (Northern Italy).

In recent years, increased attention has been given to plants containing toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). Jacobaea alpina (syn. Senecio cordatus) is a tall forb growing on mountain pastures and meadows containing such alkaloids and therefore, the plant is considered as a noxious weed in these environments. The repartition of toxic macrocyclic PAs in the plant and their evolution during the vegetation period has been studied in two populations. Eight PAs were found where senciphylline and senecionine accounted in most samples for more than 85 % of total alkaloids. Leaves in April and stems in May started with high PA concentrations (19-22 mg/g dry matter), then alkaloid levels declined. This decrease was more rapid in stems than in leaves. Depending on the population, fully developed inflorescences in June and July PA contents were higher or lower than in the respective leaves. Later, also in the inflorescences PA concentration decreased. Combined with growth data total alkaloid content in the whole plant as mg/plant was highest in midsummer and declined afterwards. Finally, new emerging leaves in September had high PA levels, which declined markedly towards the end of the season in November. In sum, over a large period PA concentration appeared to be high enough to present a health risk for grazing animals.

Rejection behaviour of horses for hay contaminated with meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale L.).

BACKGROUND: Extensively used grasslands are frequently utilised for hay production for equines. Especially, extensive meadows have a great variety of plant species, which may include plants that are poisonous for equines such as meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale L.). To authors' knowledge investigations about horses` avoidance behaviour towards dried meadow saffron in hay are missing. Reports of farmers are contrary to clinical symptoms described in case reports and associated with meadow saffron in hay. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the rejection behaviour of horses for hay contaminated with meadow saffron (MS) when fed ad libitum. STUDY DESIGN: An 18-day feeding trial with six adult geldings to observe the rejection behaviour for hay contaminated with MS. METHODS: The horses were fed a basal diet containing hay ad libitum and a mineral supplement during the feeding trial. At six different daytimes, hay contaminated with 1% or 2% dried MS was provided to the horses over a duration of 1 h. The rejection behaviour was observed personally and by video recordings. If a horse ingested more than two plants of MS during one observation period, the observation was stopped and repeated at another day. When the observation period had to be stopped twice, the horse was excluded from the experiment. RESULTS: Five of six horses ingested MS during the first feeding periods. One horse rejected leaves and capsules at the beginning of the study, but it showed repeated ingestion of MS after the seventh observation period. MAIN LIMITATIONS: Lack of knowledge about secondary plant metabolites affecting taste and their variability between fresh and dried plants. CONCLUSIONS: The intake of MS in hay by horses could not be ruled out with certainty. Therefore, feeding hay contaminated with MS should be avoided for equids.

Photosensitization Induced by Heterophyllaea pustulata in Goats: Sequential Development of Skin Lesions.

Five adult Saanen goats received a single oral dose of Heterophyllaea pustulata containing 42.25 µg/kg rubiadin (anthraquinone) and 3 adult goats were untreated controls. All goats were exposed to sunlight and sequential ear skin biopsies were collected before treatment and at 32 hours, 3 days, 8 days, and 15 days after treatment. Changes at 32 hours after dosing included epidermal spongiosis, single cell death and acantholysis, an increased BAX/BCL-2 protein ratio, and dermal edema. Lesions at day 3 included epidermal and adnexal necrosis, crust formation, and acanthosis. Acanthosis, hyperkeratosis, and dermal fibrosis and neovascularization were present at day 15. The pro-apoptotic (BAX)/anti-apoptotic (BCL-2) protein ratio increased at 32 hours, whereas epidermal and dermal PCNA immunolabeling increased between days 8 and 15 after treatment. The cutaneous lesions were consistent with sunlight-induced damage, and the occurrence in treated but not control goats indicates photosensitization.

Plant species used in Brazil and Asia regions with toxic properties.

Many efforts are being made to find biomolecules extracted from plants to be useful therapeutic agents to replace the drugs traditionally used in clinical medicine with known side effects and high financial investment, thus offering greater safety and less risk to the population. However, the presence of toxic substances such as alkaloids, amino acids, amides, glycosides, saponins, and tannins are the main reasons for the poisonous activity of some medicinal plants. In this sense, understanding plants constituents and lethal doses can be important source in managing several diseases in human life. This review aimed to present extracts, fractions, and/or compounds of plants of Brazil and Asia regions that have reported toxicity to in vitro and in vivo models. The results presented here contribute to warning the population about the toxicological characterization of some plants, however, further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of the plants (or compounds).

Development of molecular markers to distinguish between morphologically similar edible plants and poisonous plants using a real-time PCR assay.

BACKGROUND: As a result of similar appearances between edible and poisonous plants, 42 patients have ingested poisonous plants from 2013 to 2017 in Korea. We have developed species-specific primer sets of three of edible and poisonous plants sets (Ligularia fischeri & Caltha palustris, Artemisia annua & Ambrosia artemisiifolia and Hemerocallis fulva & Veratrum maackii) for distinguishing both plants using a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. RESULTS: The efficiencies of the developed primer sets ranged from 87.8% to 102.0%. The developed primer sets have significant correlation coefficient values between the Ct values and the log DNA concentration for their target species (r2 > 0.99). The cut-off lines as the crossing point values of the limit of quantitation of the target species were determined, and all non-target species were amplified later than the cut-off cycles. Then, the effectiveness of the developed primer sets was evaluated using commercial food products and digested samples with simulated gastric juice. CONCLUSION: All of the developed species-specific primer sets were able to detect target DNA successfully in commercial food products and the digested samples. Therefore, the developed species-specific primer sets in the present study would be useful tools for distinguishing between poisonous plants and edible plants. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

A survey of animal poisonings in New Zealand veterinary practices: perceptions of incidence and frequency of poisoning cases.

AIMS: To survey New Zealand veterinary practices on the incidence and frequency of animal poisonings encountered over a 1-year period. METHODS: A national questionnaire-based cross-sectional online survey was made available to all members of the New Zealand Veterinary Association, active as of 2010, via an email supplying a link to the questionnaire. Veterinary practices listed by the Veterinary Council of New Zealand were also contacted via email or phone. Respondents entered their information on the online survey site or provided a hard copy of their responses, which were then entered by the authors into the database. The questionnaire contained a mixture of tick box options and short answer questions. Responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Of 463 veterinary practices deemed eligible to complete the survey, 120 (25.9%) responded to the survey. However, only 94 (78.3%) questionnaire entries (78.3%) were deemed adequate for analysis. Veterinary practices (45 mixed practices, 38 companion animal-only practices, nine large animal practices, and two equine-only practices) from 14/16 regions of New Zealand were represented. All respondents affirmed that in the last 12 months, cases of suspected poisoning in animals were attended by veterinarians at their practices and estimated a total of 5,326 poisoning cases. The subcategories most commonly associated with estimated cases of poisoning were pasture mycotoxins (2,133/5,326; 40%), anticoagulant rodenticides (753/5,326; 14.1%), plants (469/5,326; 8.8%), slug/snail baits (305/5,326; 5.7%) and chocolate (221/5,326; 4.1%). Except for anticoagulant rodenticides (once a month), and slug/snail baits, human prescription or over-the-counter drugs, and chocolate (once a year), the majority of respondents reported toxicants caused poisonings seasonally or infrequently. CONCLUSIONS: A variety of poisons were encountered with environmental toxins and household pest control agents being the most common cause of poisoning for animals attended by veterinarians in New Zealand. Most cases of poisoning in animals occurred seasonally or infrequently. Further research is needed to determine the actual number of animals poisoned, the affected species, and the seasons when poisoning occurs in New Zealand. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: : This report provides baseline information on cases of poisoning in animals in New Zealand which could be used for case management, prevention through client education, and poisoning risk assessment.

Palicourea marcgravii (Rubiaceae) poisoning in cattle grazing in Brazil.

Palicourea marcgravii is the most important poisonous plant of cattle in Brazil. It contains monofluoroacetic acid and causes sudden death associated with exercise. Herein, we describe the temporal and spatial distribution of the toxic disease. The survey was based on the epidemiological, clinical, and pathological data of the Setor de Anatomia Patológica (SAP) of the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRuralRJ) to report outbreaks of poisoning by P. marcgravii, from 1953 to 2018. Clinical signs were peracute and included labored breathing, loss of balance, muscle tremors, lateral recumbency, and limb paddling. Gross lesions such as congestion of large vessels and edema and pulmonary congestion were observed. Multifocal areas of vacuolar hydropic degeneration of distal contorted tubule cells with nuclear pyknosis were observed in the kidneys. The plant is found in forests, and the poisoning occurs mainly after clearing forests for pasture, in areas of natural forest recovery called "capoeira," which provide a favorable environment for maintaining P. marcgravii growth. Outbreaks of P. marcgravii poisoning coincided with periods of creation of large deforested pastures in the Southeast and Midwest regions of Brazil, and the poisoning should be considered an additional risk after deforestation. The most effective prophylaxis is fencing off the forest areas that contain these plants.

An outbreak of poisoning by Kalanchoe blossfeldiana in cattle in northeastern Brazil.

In the world, Kalanchoe species are primarily ornamentals and houseplants, but some have escaped cultivation and can be found in the field. In Latin America, there are no reports of spontaneous poisoning by Kalanchoe species in animals. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and pathological aspects of an outbreak of poisoning by Kalanchoe blossfeldiana in cattle in the semiarid region of Pernambuco, Brazil. Epidemiological and clinical data were obtained from the owner and veterinarian during technical visits. Prunings of this plant were disposed of in a pasture with a shortness of forage. Seventeen cattle had clinical signs, and thirteen died 4-5 days after the first clinical signs were observed. Clinical signs and gross and histological lesions include gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and neuromuscular disorders. Kalanchoe spp. contain cardiotoxic glycosides, and the clinical signs and lesions in cattle of this outbreak were consistent with poisoning by plants that contain these toxins.

[PCR-RFLP Method for Rapid Discrimination of Toxic Plants Involved in Food Poisoning].

Food poisoning caused by natural toxins, especially poisonous plants, is characterized by severe symptoms and a relatively high mortality rate. Therefore, rapid and accurate identification of the causative agent is extremely important. From plant toxin food poisoning data published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan from 1989 to 2015, we selected five plants (Veratrum spp., Datura spp., Aconitum spp., Narcissus spp. and Colchicum spp.) that are frequently involved in poisoning outbreaks, and developed a PCR-RFLP assay to discriminate them. Separation of the PCR-RFLP products by electrophoresis resulted in detection of two fragments from poisonous plants and one from edible plants. The PCR-RFLP method is rapid and straightforward and does not require expensive analytical devices. This assay was also confirmed to be applicable to cooked samples.

Poisoning by Herbs and Plants: Rapid Toxidromic Classification and Diagnosis.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers has continued to report approximately 50,000 telephone calls or 8% of incoming calls annually related to plant exposures, mostly in children. Although the frequency of plant ingestions in children is related to the presence of popular species in households, adolescents may experiment with hallucinogenic plants; and trekkers and foragers may misidentify poisonous plants as edible. Since plant exposures have continued at a constant rate, the objectives of this review were (1) to review the epidemiology of plant poisonings; and (2) to propose a rapid toxidromic classification system for highly toxic plant ingestions for field use by first responders in comparison to current classification systems. Internet search engines were queried to identify and select peer-reviewed articles on plant poisonings using the key words in order to classify plant poisonings into four specific toxidromes: cardiotoxic, neurotoxic, cytotoxic, and gastrointestinal-hepatotoxic. A simple toxidromic classification system of plant poisonings may permit rapid diagnoses of highly toxic versus less toxic and nontoxic plant ingestions both in households and outdoors; direct earlier management of potentially serious poisonings; and reduce costly inpatient evaluations for inconsequential plant ingestions. The current textbook classification schemes for plant poisonings were complex in comparison to the rapid classification system; and were based on chemical nomenclatures and pharmacological effects, and not on clearly presenting toxidromes. Validation of the rapid toxidromic classification system as compared to existing chemical classification systems for plant poisonings will require future adoption and implementation of the toxidromic system by its intended users.

Prospects and Problems for Identification of Poisonous Plants in China using DNA Barcodes.

OBJECTIVE: Poisonous plants are a deadly threat to public health in China. The traditional clinical diagnosis of the toxic plants is inefficient, fallible, and dependent upon experts. In this study, we tested the performance of DNA barcodes for identification of the most threatening poisonous plants in China. METHODS: Seventy-four accessions of 27 toxic plant species in 22 genera and 17 families were sampled and three DNA barcodes (matK, rbcL, and ITS) were amplified, sequenced and tested. Three methods, Blast, pairwise global alignment (PWG) distance, and Tree-Building were tested for discrimination power. RESULTS: The primer universality of all the three markers was high. Except in the case of ITS for Hemerocallis minor, the three barcodes were successfully generated from all the selected species. Among the three methods applied, Blast showed the lowest discrimination rate, whereas PWG Distance and Tree-Building methods were equally effective. The ITS barcode showed highest discrimination rates using the PWG Distance and Tree-Building methods. When the barcodes were combined, discrimination rates were increased for the Blast method. CONCLUSION: DNA barcoding technique provides us a fast tool for clinical identification of poisonous plants in China. We suggest matK, rbcL, ITS used in combination as DNA barcodes for authentication of poisonous plants.

Amaranthus hybridus (syn. quitensis) intoxication in cattle in Argentina: Case report.

Amaranthus spp. is a nephrotoxic plant with unknown toxic principle, affecting production animals worldwide, mainly in South America. The aim of this paper is to describe 5 spontaneous outbreaks of A. hybridus intoxication in beef cattle, where 7 autopsies were performed. Main gross findings were pale diffuse and enlarged kidneys. Microscopically, kidneys were characterized by severe tubular acute to subacute nephrosis, with dilatated tubules showing different degrees of epithelial degeneration and necrosis, and containing intraluminal eosinophilic hyaline casts. Intratubular birefringent crystals, compatible with oxalate, were observed under polarized light in kidneys from 3 autopsies. Positive von Kossa and red alizarin S staining confirmed the intratubular crystals as calcium deposits. This intoxication occurs mainly in stubble paddocks during summer and early autumn. The data from the present study suggests that oxalates were related to nephrotoxicity due to Amaranthus consumption.

Hair loss and endocrine dermatosis on horses raised in a Mimosa pudica var. unijuga-invaded area.

A Mimosa pudica var. unijuga-associated toxicity affecting horses occurred in Araguari, Triângulo Mineiro, Southeast Brazil. Affected horses had gradual hair loss of the mane and tail and endocrine dermatosis after grazing for three months during the dry season on a paddock invaded by the plant. The main histological lesions include compact ortho-keratotic hyperkeratosis and numerous flame follicles. Toxicological analysis by HPLC-UV demonstrated 0.8 mg/g of mimosine in the leaves.

Leucaena leucocephala toxicity in Brazilian horses.

Leucaena leucocephala poisoning is reported in horses in different Brazilian regions. The poisoning occurred one month after the horses were introduced into paddocks invaded by the plant or after 10 days of consuming cut Leucaena administered as the only food. Affected horses showed moderate to severe hair loss on the mane and tail, orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis with marked follicular telogenization, and hyperplasia of thyroid follicular cells. Mimosin concentration in leaves (5.5 mg/g) was determined by a new HLPC-UV method which is also reported.

Visual-, Olfactory-, and Nectar-Taste-Based Flower Aposematism.

Florivory, i.e., flower herbivory, of various types is common and can strongly reduce plant fitness. Flowers suffer two very different types of herbivory: (1) the classic herbivory of consuming tissues and (2) nectar theft. Unlike the non-reversibility of consumed tissues, nectar theft, while potentially reducing a plant's fitness by lowering its attraction to pollinators, can, in various cases, be fixed quickly by the production of additional nectar. Therefore, various mechanisms to avoid or reduce florivory have evolved. Here, I focus on one of the flowers' defensive mechanisms, aposematism, i.e., warning signaling to avoid or at least reduce herbivory via the repelling of herbivores. While plant aposematism of various types was almost ignored until the year 2000, it is a common anti-herbivory defense mechanism in many plant taxa, operating visually, olfactorily, and, in the case of nectar, via a bitter taste. Flower aposematism has received only very little focused attention as such, and many of the relevant publications that actually demonstrated herbivore repellence and avoidance learning following flower signaling did not refer to repellence as aposematism. Here, I review what is known concerning visual-, olfactory-, and nectar-taste-based flower aposematism, including some relevant cases of mimicry, and suggest some lines for future research.

TLC and HPLC methods for the determination of plumbagin for the diagnosis of poisoning by Plumbago scandens L.

Plumbago scandens L. (Plumbaginaceae) occurs in all regions of Brazil. It has been described as toxic to cattle and goats. Caustic lesions in the upper digestive tract characterize poisoning. P. scandens contains a naphthoquinone named plumbagin, which presents high cytotoxic activity. Plumbago auriculata Lam., a widely used ornamental plant, is considered potentially toxic, but there is limited data about its toxicity. This work aimed to validate analytical methodologies for determining the levels of plumbagin in samples of leaves, stems, and rumen content to be used as an auxiliary chemical marker in the laboratory diagnosis of intoxication. One methodology used thin layer chromatography (TLC), and another used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The presence of palisade grass (Urochloa brizantha (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) R.D.Webster), Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus (Jacq.) B.K.Simon & S.W.L.Jacobs), corn silage, and rumen content did not interfere with plumbagin in the two methodologies. The TLC methodology generates qualitative results but is simple to implement and has a low cost. The HPLC methodology showed a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.01 µg/mL and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.05 µg/mL. Leaf and stem samples of P. scandens evaluated showed high levels of plumbagin (0.261 ± 0.087 % and 0.327 ± 0.055 %, respectively). In contrast, leaves of P. auriculata did not show detectable levels of the toxin, and some stem samples showed low levels (up to 0.000114 %). Thus, these methodologies can be used to confirm or rule out the consumption of P. scandens in rumen content from animals suspected of poisoning.