title: Analytical confirmation of Xanthium strumarium poisoning in cattle.
abstract: Xanthium strumarium, commonly referred to as "cocklebur," rarely causes poisoning in cattle. When mature, this robust, annual weed bears numerous oval, brownish, spiny burs. Only the seeds in the burs and young seedlings (cotyledonary leaves) contain the toxic principle, carboxyatractyloside. In the Frankfort district of the Free State Province of South Africa, a herd of 150 Bonsmara cows were allowed to graze on the banks of a small river, where mature cocklebur was growing. Four cows died while grazing in this relatively small area. Clinical signs ranged from recumbency, apparent blindness, and hypersensitivity to convulsive seizures. During necropsy, burs completely matted with ingesta were located in the rumen content. The most distinctive microscopic lesions were severe, bridging centrilobular to midzonal hepatocyte necrosis and hemorrhage. Ultrastructurally, periacinar hepatocytes were necrotic, and novel electron-dense cytoplasmic needle-like crystals were observed, often in close association with peroxisomes. Carboxyatractyloside concentrations were determined using liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Carboxyatractyloside was present in rumen contents at 2.5 mg/kg; in burs removed from the rumen at 0.17 mg/kg; in liver at 66 ng/g, and was below the limit of quantitation in the kidney sample, estimated at approximately 0.8 ng/g. Based on the presence of the plants on the riverbank, the history of exposure, the clinical findings, the presence of burs in the rumen, and the microscopic and ultrastructural lesions, X. strumarium poisoning in the herd of cattle was confirmed and was supported by LC-HRMS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa (Botha, Williams)Frankfort Animal Clinic, Frankfort, South Africa (Lessing)National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa (Rösemann)Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa (van Wilpe) christo.botha@up.ac.za.
authors.forename: Christo J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Botha
authors.affiliation: Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa (Botha, Williams)Frankfort Animal Clinic, Frankfort, South Africa (Lessing)National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa (Rösemann)Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa (van Wilpe).
authors.forename: Dries
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lessing
authors.affiliation: Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa (Botha, Williams)Frankfort Animal Clinic, Frankfort, South Africa (Lessing)National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa (Rösemann)Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa (van Wilpe).
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rösemann
authors.affiliation: Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa (Botha, Williams)Frankfort Animal Clinic, Frankfort, South Africa (Lessing)National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa (Rösemann)Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa (van Wilpe).
authors.forename: Erna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Wilpe
authors.affiliation: Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa (Botha, Williams)Frankfort Animal Clinic, Frankfort, South Africa (Lessing)National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa (Rösemann)Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa (van Wilpe).
authors.forename: June H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001278:Atractyloside / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000506:poisoning / Q000633:toxicity; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents / Q000737:chemistry; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis / Q000473:pathology; D010947:Plants, Toxic / Q000506:poisoning*; D012417:Rumen; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D031210:Xanthium / Q000506:poisoning*
chemical_list: D001278:Atractyloside; C003853:carboxyatractyloside
keywords:   Xanthium spp; Bovine; carboxyatractyloside analysis; cocklebur; hepatotoxicity