title: Gangrenous ergotism in cattle grazing fescue (Festuca elatior L.) in South Africa.
abstract: The 1st outbreak of fescue toxicosis in South Africa was recently confirmed in a Brahman herd at Perdekop, near Standerton, in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. Within 3 weeks of being placed on a fescue pasture in mid-winter, 50 of 385 cattle developed lameness and/or necrosis of the tail. The farmer had established Festuca elatior L. (tall fescue, Iewag variety) on c. 140 ha for winter grazing. Fescue may be infected by an endophyte, Neotyphodium coenophialum, which produces ergot alkaloids, in particular ergovaline. Ergovaline concentrations in basal leaf sheaths and grass stems collected during the outbreak ranged from 1720-8170 ppb on a dry-matter basis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa. christo.botha@up.ac.za
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Botha
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Naudé
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Moroe
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Rottinghaus
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D004879:Ergotamines / Q000506:poisoning*; D004881:Ergotism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005734:Gangrene / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D007794:Lameness, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006109:Poaceae / Q000382:microbiology*; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D013623:Tail / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004879:Ergotamines; C076760:ergovaline