Encephalopathy caused by Talisia esculenta intoxication in pregnant ewes and their newborn lambs

An outbreak of acute encephalopathy occurred in pregnant ewes and their newborn lambs associated with consumption of Talisia esculenta fruits and bark. Clinical signs in 5 adult pregnant ewes included drooling, bloat, tachypnea, depression, ataxia, body shaking, difficulty in rising, and recumbency....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation 2021-11, Vol.33 (6), p.1128-1132
Main Authors: Almeida, Valdir M., Silva-Filho, Givaldo B., Bom, Hisadora A. S. C., Fonseca, Silvio M. C., Riet-Correa, Franklin, Uzal, Francisco A., Woolard, Kevin D., Souza, Francisco A. L., Mendonça, Fábio S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Brain Diseases - chemically induced
Brain Diseases - veterinary
Brief Reports
Female
Pregnancy
Sapindaceae - toxicity
Sheep
Sheep Diseases - chemically induced
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Summary:An outbreak of acute encephalopathy occurred in pregnant ewes and their newborn lambs associated with consumption of Talisia esculenta fruits and bark. Clinical signs in 5 adult pregnant ewes included drooling, bloat, tachypnea, depression, ataxia, body shaking, difficulty in rising, and recumbency. Three neonatal lambs born to some of those ewes had similar clinical signs. No significant gross abnormalities were observed on autopsy. Histologically, neuronal necrosis, axonal and dendritic swelling, and loss of Purkinje neurons were observed in the cerebellum. The observation of similar neurologic clinical signs and lesions in pregnant ewes and their neonatal lambs suggests that the toxic principle of T. esculenta crosses the placenta and reaches the fetus.
ISSN:1040-6387
1943-4936
DOI:10.1177/10406387211041098