Experimentally-induced Cestrum laevigatum (Schlechtd.) poisoning in sheep.

Dried, milled Cestrum laevigatum plant material was drenched to 6 ewes at doses ranging from 2,5 to 10 g/kg/day for 1 to 47 days. The most noticeable clinical signs were depression, anorexia and ruminal stasis. These signs were accompanied by clinical pathological changes indicative of liver involvement such as increases in the serum activities of aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase and gamma-glutamyltransferase. Hepatosis characterized by accentuated lobulation, and centrilobular to midzonal coagulative necrosis, haemorrhage and congestion occurred in 2 of the 3 ewes given high doses of plant material. Liver lesions in the other animals included disappearance of hepatocytes and collapse of the reticulin stroma in the centrilobular areas. Spongy changes in the cerebral white matter were evident in the ewes of the high-dose group. Ultrastructural changes in the liver comprised degeneration and necrosis of hepatocytes and occasionally endothelial cells, and disruption of sinusoidal walls.     

柳枝稷幼穗分化过程及其分期

为探索柳枝稷（Panicum virgatum）幼穗分化过程与规律,以柳枝稷低地型品种"Alamo"为材料,对其幼穗分化过程进行显微观察并记录对应大田植株形态。结果发现：柳枝稷幼穗分化是一个慢-快-慢的过程,可分为9个连续的时期：苞原基分化期、枝梗原基分化期、小穗分化期、小花原基分化期、雌雄蕊原基分化期、药隔形成期、花药四分期、花药伸长期、羽状柱头形成期,每个时期均具有与之对应的植株外观形态以供判别分化进程。柳枝稷幼穗分化起始至分化完全历时约3个月,植株历经拔节、孕穗、抽穗而开花,花序从上到下依次开花,花期可达3~4周。     

Fall panicum (Panicum dichotomiflorum) hepatotoxicosis in horses and sheep

BACKGROUND: Fourteen horses at a boarding stable in Virginia were diagnosed with hepatic disease and locally grown hay was implicated as the cause. HYPOTHESIS: Panicum dichotomiflorum, the predominant grass species in the hay, is hepatotoxic to horses. ANIMALS: Naturally occurring cases were adult horses of various breeds. Two healthy adult horses and 2 healthy adult sheep were used in feeding trials. METHODS: Blood and liver specimens collected from affected animals during the outbreak were analyzed. Some of the affected animals were treated supportively; the main intervention was hay withdrawal. Feeding trials were not blinded and no treatments were provided. Blood and liver specimens were collected and analyzed throughout the trials. RESULTS: Five affected animals were euthanized, whereas the others recovered. One research horse was euthanized for postmortem examination, and the other research animals recovered after hay withdrawal. All affected animals had evidence of hepatic disease with abnormally high aspartate aminotransferase (AST), sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Evaluation of liver biopsy specimens disclosed mild lymphocytic and histiocytic inflammation, mild vacuolar change (hydropic degeneration), prominently clumped chromatin, and necrosis of individual hepatocytes. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Severe hepatotoxicosis developed rapidly after Panicum hay exposure. Patchy hepatocyte necrosis was observed, implicating apoptosis as the mechanism of hepatotoxicosis. Absence of fibrosis in the research animals indicates that immediate withdrawal of Panicum hay should allow all but severely affected animals to recover from acute exposure.     

Suspected poisoning of cattle by scarlet pimpernel (Lysimachia arvensis L.)

The ingestion of scarlet pimpernel (Lysimachia arvensis L.), also known as red chickweed, has been reported as a cause of death of cattle in Uruguay, and as the suspected cause of deaths of sheep in Australia. It has not previously been reported in association with deaths of cattle in Australia. We report the clinical and pathological findings from four cattle in western Victoria that died with a nephrosis suspected to be secondary to intoxication with scarlet pimpernel.     

Acorn poisoning in sheep

Abstract

Extract

No record appears to have been made of oak poisoning in New Zealand, Connor (1951 Connor, H. E. 1951. “N.Z. Dept. of Scientific and Industrial Research”. In Bulletin No. 99  [Google Scholar]) considering that only extremely isolated cases are likely to occur.     

Acorn poisoning in sheep

Abstract

Extract

Robins and Shapcott (1954 Robins, J. H. and Shapcott, R. 1954. N.Z. vet. J., 2: 55–55. [Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) recorded cases of presumed acorn poisoning in sheep.