title: Cardiomyopathy in ostriches (Struthio camelus) due to avocado (Persea americana var. guatemalensis) intoxication.
abstract: Nine out of 120 ostriches died from congestive heart failure within 96 h of ingesting avocado leaves and immature fruit in an avocado orchard containing Hass and Fuerte cultivars. Foliage and immature fruit from both cultivars dosed to ostriches (n = 4) and domestic hens (n = 8) resulted in severe cardiomyopathy in all the ostriches. In the hens, which had received a lower dose, milder lesions occurred. Macroscopically the intoxication in ostriches resulted in a severe anasarca of the neck and ventral body. The cardiomyopathy was characterised by degeneration and necrosis of myocytes, a marked infiltration of heterophils and in one case, early fibroplasia.
authors.affiliation: Ostrich Research Centre, Oudtshoorn, Republic of South Africa.
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Naudé
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Van Rensburg
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Botha
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pienaar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D001717:Birds; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005638:Fruit / Q000506:poisoning*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D010939:Plant Poisoning / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary