Some Observations on Field Cases of Facial Eczema: Liver Pathology and Determinations of Serum Bilirubin, Cholesterol, Transaminase and Alkaline Phosphatase

Plant and Fungal Hepatotoxicities of Cattle in Australia, with a Focus on Minimally Understood Toxins

“…Macroscopically, there is the prominence of superficial bile ducts, obstruction with bile plugs or inspissated debris and distension of the gallbladder (Figure 2) [41,43]. Acute or subacute cases typically demonstrate a swollen, friable, pale and yellow-green discolored liver reflecting bile accumulation [3,34,41,[43][44][45]. These lesions are reflected microscopically by canalicular distension with bile, bile pigment within hepatocytes and Kupffer cells and marked ductular reaction (biliary hyperplasia (Figure 2)) [43].…”

“…Acute or subacute cases typically demonstrate a swollen, friable, pale and yellow-green discolored liver reflecting bile accumulation [3,34,41,[43][44][45]. These lesions are reflected microscopically by canalicular distension with bile, bile pigment within hepatocytes and Kupffer cells and marked ductular reaction (biliary hyperplasia (Figure 2)) [43]. There may also be portal infiltration with inflammatory cells, typically mononuclear cells, variable cholecystitis and gallbladder wall edema [43].…”

“…The location of fibrosis (centrilobular or portal) is dependent on the initial target of the toxin [14]. Vascular lesions are characteristic of a handful of toxins in ruminants, including pyrrolizidine alkaloids [4], sporidesmin [40,43] and A. blandowskianum [53], and are discussed further individually. Another common feature of hepatotoxicity is the presence of widespread serosal or subcutaneous petechial hemorrhages [43,47,56].…”

Hepatotoxicity of Foods: A Consideration of the Hepatotoxicity of a Few Phanerogams and Cryptograms; Their Possible Influence in the Pathogenesis of Cirrhosis and Hepatoma*,†

“…Facial eczema is a disease of grazing sheep in New Zealand (and a few areas of Australia) that occurs sporadically but is highly fatal and therefore of great economic importance. [14][15][16][17][18][19] The chief pathologic changes are in the liver and skin, the latter, particularly, in bare or poorly pigmented areas. The liver lesions are principally in the bile ducts and liver cells.…”

Ovine ill-thrift in Nova Scotia:I. The possible regulation of the rumen flora in sheep by the fungal flora of permanent pasture

“…It was discovered in 1943, but has so far resisted purification and isolation. We have shown (Brewer, Hannah & Taylor, 1966;Brewer, Hannah, Rahman & Taylor, 1967) that the crude preparation is bacteriostatic at 2 x 10~8 g/ml and that it is related to sporidesmin (Ronaldson, Taylor, White & Abraham, 1963;Mortimer & Taylor, 1962;see also Trown, 1968;Hauser, Weber & Sigg, 1970), another mould metabolite, probably involved in the aetiology of facial eczema (Done, Mortimer & Taylor, 1960). There is some evidence that chetomin is translocated by grasses (Tveit, 1955) and hence the toxin might be ingested with the herbage eaten by grazing animals, thus affecting their growth, by inhibition of the metabolism of rumen bacteria, or their health, by its toxicity.…”