An Evaluation of Hair, Oral Fluid, Earwax, and Nasal Mucus as Noninvasive Specimens to Determine Livestock Exposure to Teratogenic Lupine Species

Abstract

The livestock industry in the western United States loses an estimated $500 million annually from livestock production losses due to poisonous plants. Poisoning of livestock by plants often goes undiagnosed because there is a lack of appropriate or available specimens for analysis. The Lupinus species represent an important toxic plant in western North America that can be toxic and/or teratogenic to livestock species due to the quinolizidine alkaloids. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of using earwax, hair, oral fluid, and nasal mucus as noninvasive specimens to determine livestock exposure to the teratogenic Lupinus species. Quinolizidine alkaloids were detected in these four matrices in cattle that were administered a single dose of Lupinus leucophyllus. In addition, quinolizidine alkaloids from lupine were detected in the earwax of cattle that grazed on lupine-infested rangelands. This study demonstrates the potential of earwax, hair, oral fluid, and nasal mucus as noninvasive specimens for chemical analyses to aid in the diagnosis of livestock that may have been exposed to and poisoned by plants.

Characterizing the Volatile and Sensory Profiles, and Sugar Content of Beeswax, Beebread, Bee Pollen, and Honey

“…These results concerning the detected chemical families are consistent with findings reported by other authors [ 20 ]. On the other hand, a recent study demonstrated a higher number of volatiles (42 compounds) in honey from China, which included 14 aldehydes, 12 ketones, seven alcohols, three acids, three pyrazines, one ether, one ester, and one terpene [ 34 ]. In Polish honey, we did not detect volatiles from ketone, pyrazine, ether, and terpene groups, but were identified compounds from groups of: Monoterpenes, disulfides, and furans, which were not detected in the Chinese samples.…”

Biomarkers and their potential for detecting livestock plant poisonings in Western North America

“…Other investigators have measured fluoroacetate in earwax of cows that were experimentally administered sub-lethal doses of Palicourea marcgravii, a plant that causes sudden death syndrome in cattle, sheep, and goats in Brazil (4)(5)(6). Recently, earwax, hair, oral fluid, and nasal mucus were evaluated as noninvasive specimens to determine livestock exposure to poisonous larkspur plants and to toxic and teratogenic lupine plants (7). Lee et al (7) also demonstrated that lupine alkaloids could be detected in the earwax and hair of cattle over a 30-day period and that lupine alkaloids could be detected in the oral fluid and nasal mucus of cattle over an 8-day time after receiving a single oral dose of lupine plant material.…”

“…Recently, earwax, hair, oral fluid, and nasal mucus were evaluated as noninvasive specimens to determine livestock exposure to poisonous larkspur plants and to toxic and teratogenic lupine plants (7). Lee et al (7) also demonstrated that lupine alkaloids could be detected in the earwax and hair of cattle over a 30-day period and that lupine alkaloids could be detected in the oral fluid and nasal mucus of cattle over an 8-day time after receiving a single oral dose of lupine plant material. Lupine alkaloids were also detected in the earwax of cattle after a summer of grazing lupine-infested rangelands suggesting that plant alkaloids can persist in earwax months after exposure.…”

“…Lupine alkaloids are also rapidly eliminated from the serum of the bodies of cattle (30-35 h for 5 half-lives to pass). However, maternal serum and earwax anagyrine concentrations have been proposed for used as a biomarker for crooked calf disease (7,76). In cattle, the most sensitive gestational period for exposure to lupine alkaloids like anagyrine is 40-70 days of gestation (63).…”