Spontaneous poisoning by Dodonaea viscosa (Sapindaceae) in cattle in Southern Brazil

Abstract

In this study, an outbreak of spontaneous poisoning by Dodonaea viscosa (D. viscosa) in a herd of dairy cattle in the municipality of Capão do Leão, Rio Grande do Sul, was investigated. Three deaths occurred in a batch of 16 Jersey cattle, aged between three and four years, kept in a native field. The clinical signs observed were apathy, decreased production, and anorexia, with death occurring within approximately 48 h after the onset of signs. The three cattle were necropsied, and tissue samples were sent for histopathological examination. Necropsy findings included serosanguineous fluid in the abdominal cavity, intestines with congested serosa, and marked mesenteric edema. The mucosa of the abomasum of two of the animals was hemorrhagic with bloody content, and among the ruminal content of a bovine, leaves with morphological characteristics compatible with D. viscosa were observed. The livers of the three animals were enlarged, with accentuation of the lobular pattern. Histologically, centrilobular coagulation necrosis with congestion and hemorrhage was observed in the liver. Vacuolization and degeneration of hepatocytes were observed in the mid-zonal and periportal regions. The diagnosis of poisoning by D. viscosa leaves was based on epidemiological data, necropsy findings, and histopathological alterations. The presence of the plant in the rumen and in the grazing site of the affected cattle was essential for the diagnosis.

Toxic pneumopathy by Trema micrantha in sheep in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil

“…In horses, this glycoside causes severe hepatocellular necrosis (Hill et al 1985, Bandarra et al 2010, Lorenzett et al 2017. Some plants also cause acute liver necrosis, such as Cestrum axillare, Cestrum parqui, Cestrum corymbosum, Cestrum intermedium, Sessea brasiliensis, Vernonia mollissima, Vernonia rubricaulis, Xanthium sp., and Dodonaea viscosa (Riet-Correa et al 1986, Chaulet et al 1990, Gava et al 1991, Marinho et al 2018, Soares et al 2018, Barbosa et al 2020, Pohl et al 2021, Zamboni et al 2021). These plants were not found on the property, allowing excluding them from the diagnosis, demonstrating the importance of an effective epidemiological study in these cases.…”