Chronic facial eczema in sheep: description of gross and histological changes in the liver and association with serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activity at the time of sporidesmin intoxication

Munday, JS; Ridler, Anne; Aberdein, Danielle; Na, Thomson; Griffiths, K. J.

doi:10.1080/00480169.2020.1823904

Cited by 5 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The presented clinical signs, histopathological findings, results of additional investigations and conditions in this particular case are most consistent with hepatogenous photosensitisation induced by sporidesmin, which is therefore the most plausible aetiology 7–13 . Nevertheless, other causes that potentially could lead to the observed clinical signs have been discussed and excluded.…”

Section: Differential Diagnosissupporting

confidence: 64%

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First case of pithomycotoxicosis in sheep in the Netherlands

Dijkstra

Harkema

Vellema

2022

Vet Record Case Reports

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Pithomycotoxicosis, commonly known as facial eczema, is a hepatogenous photosensitisation in grazing ruminants caused by intake of sporidesmin‐containing spores of the saprophytic fungus Pithomyces chartarum. Although this is a significant sheep disease in various countries in the world, it is rarely seen in Europe, and has been reported only once in the Netherlands, but in cattle. In October 2019, both sheep and lambs in a flock of 50 breeding sheep showed clinical signs of photosensitisation, including oedematous facial swelling, reddening of eyelids, ulcerative skin lesions, hyperpigmentation, and in some cases icteric sclerae. The combination of clinical signs, seriously elevated glutamate dehydrogenase, gamma‐glutamyl transferase and total bilirubin, necropsy findings, course of events, time of the year, absence of known toxic plants or mycotoxins, strongly suggest that sporidesmin was the most probable cause of this case of hepatogenous photosensitisation, which makes this the first reported case of pithomycotoxicosis in sheep in the Netherlands.

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Section: Differential Diagnosissupporting

confidence: 64%

“…With the exception of two, all sheep were back on pasture when samples were taken. Compared to previous results, AST, total bilirubin and albumin were within or almost within reference values, but GLDH and γGT were still clearly elevated, as has been described in sheep with facial eczema 12 …”

Section: Outcome and Follow‐upcontrasting

confidence: 57%

First case of pithomycotoxicosis in sheep in the Netherlands

Dijkstra

Harkema

Vellema

2022

Vet Record Case Reports

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“…Hence it is important to study relationships between grassland animals and fungi. Chronic facial eczema caused by Pithomyces chartarum shows how important it is to understand fungal communities in grasslands ( Laven et al., 2020 ; Munday et al., 2020 ). In a way, grasslands can be a reservoir of fungal pathogens.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A well-studied disease chronic facial eczema on sheep is caused by a grassland fungus Pithomyces chartarum . Pithomyces chartarum is a well-known saprobe in monocots including grasses ( Laven et al., 2020 ; Munday et al., 2020 ) and it causes facial eczemas in ruminants and camelids ( Laven et al., 2020 ). Pithomyces chartarum produces a mycotoxin known as sporidesmin which causes edema, ulceration and crusting dermatitis on face and ears in ruminants and camelids ( Munday et al., 2020 ).…”

Section: Diseases Of Humans and Other Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pithomyces chartarum is a well-known saprobe in monocots including grasses ( Laven et al., 2020 ; Munday et al., 2020 ) and it causes facial eczemas in ruminants and camelids ( Laven et al., 2020 ). Pithomyces chartarum produces a mycotoxin known as sporidesmin which causes edema, ulceration and crusting dermatitis on face and ears in ruminants and camelids ( Munday et al., 2020 ). Sporidesmin concentrates in bile and causes damages to liver through the bile duct ( Laven et al., 2020 ).…”

Section: Diseases Of Humans and Other Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fungal Pathogens in Grasslands

Karunarathna

Tibpromma

Jayawardena

et al. 2021

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

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Grasslands are major primary producers and function as major components of important watersheds. Although a concise definition of grasslands cannot be given using a physiognomic or structural approach, grasslands can be described as vegetation communities experiencing periodical droughts and with canopies dominated by grasses and grass-like plants. Grasslands have a cosmopolitan distribution except for the Antarctic region. Fungal interactions with grasses can be pathogenic or symbiotic. Herbivorous mammals, insects, other grassland animals, and fungal pathogens are known to play important roles in maintaining the biomass and biodiversity of grasslands. Although most pathogenicity studies on the members of Poaceae have been focused on economically important crops, the plant-fungal pathogenic interactions involved can extend to the full range of ecological circumstances that exist in nature. Hence, it is important to delineate the fungal pathogen communities and their interactions in man-made monoculture systems and highly diverse natural ecosystems. A better understanding of the key fungal players can be achieved by combining modern techniques such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) together with studies involving classic phytopathology, taxonomy, and phylogeny. It is of utmost importance to develop experimental designs that account for the ecological complexity of the relationships between grasses and fungi, both above and below ground. In grasslands, loss in species diversity increases interactions such as herbivory, mutualism, predation or infectious disease transmission. Host species density and the presence of heterospecific host species, also affect the disease dynamics in grasslands. Many studies have shown that lower species diversity increases the severity as well as the transmission rate of fungal diseases. Moreover, communities that were once highly diverse but have experienced decreased species richness and dominancy have also shown higher pathogenicity load due to the relaxed competition, although this effect is lower in natural communities. This review addresses the taxonomy, phylogeny, and ecology of grassland fungal pathogens and their interactions in grassland ecosystems.

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Poisonous Plants

Stegelmeier¹,

Davis²

2023

Haschek and Rousseaux's Handbook of Toxicologic Pathology, Volume 3

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Chronic facial eczema in sheep: description of gross and histological changes in the liver and association with serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activity at the time of sporidesmin intoxication

Cited by 5 publications

References 16 publications

First case of pithomycotoxicosis in sheep in the Netherlands

First case of pithomycotoxicosis in sheep in the Netherlands

Fungal Pathogens in Grasslands

Poisonous Plants

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