Neonatal mortality associated with sodium monofluoracetate in kids fed with colostrum from goats ingesting Amorimia septentrionalis

Abstract

Sudden deaths after colostrum ingestion in kids and lambs born to mothers grazing in areas with Amorimia septentrionalis have been reported in the Brazilian northeastern semi-arid region, in Paraíba state. This study aimed to determine whether the sodium monofluoracetate (MF) contained in A. septentrionalis is eliminated in milk, causing the death of kids. After confirming gestation on the 25th day after mating, 26 goats were randomly distributed into three groups. In Group 1, eight goats received fresh leaves of A. septentrionalis in daily doses of 1g/kg body weight, administered at three different periods during gestation: from days 91 to 100, 116 to 125, and from day 140 until delivery day. In Group 2, consisting of 10 females, eight goats received 1g/kg body weight of A. septentrionalis dried and milled leaves, fed daily from the 140th day of gestation until delivery. The other two goats of this group did not ingest the plant during gestation and after delivery the colostrum supplied to their kids was replaced by colostrum of goats from that same group that had ingested the plant. Eight goats from Group 3 (control) did not ingest A. septentrionalis. Seven goats from Group 1 showed signs of poisoning from 2nd to 8th days of plant administration, in all periods, and recovered within 7 to 12 days. Another goat presented severe clinical signs and was submitted to euthanasia in extremis. Two goats aborted. Four kids, from two goats, received colostrum and, after 15 minutes, presented depression, breathing wheezing, lateral recumbence, bleating, and death. Two goats gave birth at night; the two kids were found dead and, at necropsy, it was verified that they were born alive. The last goat in this group gave birth to two kids which showed no signs of poisoning after colostrum ingestion. In Group 2, the eight goats that ingested dry leaves of the plant presented tachycardia and engorgement of the jugular veins; six aborted, and the kids of the other two goats died immediately after delivery without ingesting colostrum. The three kids of the two goats that did not ingest the plant during gestation did not show signs of poisoning after ingesting colostrum from the goats that had ingested the plant. In Group 3, all females kidded normally and the kids showed no signs of poisoning. Ten leaf samples of A. septentrionalis contained 0.00074% ±0.00018 MF. These results demonstrate that the MF of A. septentrionalis is eliminated in colostrum and may cause the death of kids. As in previous reports, the plant also caused abortion.

Herbaspirillum seropedicae as a degrading bacterium of monofluoroacetate: effects of its inoculation in goats by ingesting Amorimia septentrionalis and the concentrations of this compound in plants sprayed with the bacterium

“…In the study by Silva et al (2016) the authors do not mention the MFA concentration of the plant used. However, the amount of MFA detected in A. septentrionalis samples used in experiment 1 (0.16%) was higher than that found in previous studies: 0.002% (Lee et al 2012), 0.0021% (Albuquerque et al 2014) and 0.00074% (Lopes et al 2019). Marked variations in MFA content in A. septentrionalis are also reported by Lee et al (2012).…”

Techniques for prevention and control of poisoning by sodium monofluoroacetate (MFA)-containing plants in ruminants

“…In A. septentrionalis samples collected in Pernambuco state, the MFA concentration was practically the same (0.0021%) in the leaves of the adult plant (Albuquerque et al 2014). However, Lopes et al (2019) found 0.00074% MFA in the leaves of A. septentrionalis and Pessoa et al (2019) found 0.16% MFA also in A. septentrionalis leaves; the two plants collected in the same location in Paraíba state. This variation reinforces the claims that plant toxicity varies according to developmental stage (Lee et al 2012, Tokarnia et al 2012, since plants collected in the same region showed variations in toxicity.…”

Plants causing poisoning outbreaks of livestock in South America: A review

“…Hydropic vacuolar degeneration of distal convoluted tubule cells with nuclear pyknosis in the kidneys is observed in most cases ( Tokarnia et al, 2002, 2012 ; Ubiali et al, 2020 ). Abortions, embryonic deaths, and neonatal mortality are observed in goats experimentally intoxicated by A. septentrionalis ( Silva et al, 2017a ; Lopes et al, 2019 ).…”