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EXPERIMENTAL POISONING OF HORSES AND CATTLE WITH SWAINSONA CANESCENS VAR HORNIANA |
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| Authors: | K. B. Locke D. R. McEwan I. J. Hamdorf |
| Affiliation: | Arid Zone Research Institute, Department of Primary Production, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 5750 |
| Abstract: | Horses and cattle fed swainsona ( Swainsona canescens var horniana ) over a period of 8 to 10 weeks lost condition and became incoordinated and hypersensitive. Histotogical examination of tissues from affected animals revealed the characteristic changes of widespread cellular vacuolation and axonal spheroids in the CNS. Cattle withdrawn from the toxic plant after being fed for varying periods up to 8 weeks returned to normal. Serum α-mannosidase activity declined significantly in cattle during the test period, whereas in horses the activity rose. Serum alkaline phosphatase levels increased significantly in cattle but not in horses. The similarity of the clinical signs of disease in horses was noted to those seen in Indigofera linnaei poisoning (Birdsville disease). Differential diagnosis can be made by botanical observations and by an increased frequency of vacuolated lymphocytes in the blood in swainsona poisoning. |
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