title: Pine needle abortion biomarker detected in bovine fetal fluids.
abstract: Pine needle abortion is a naturally occurring condition in free-range cattle caused by the consumption of pine needles from select species of cypress, juniper, pine, and spruce trees. Confirmatory diagnosis of pine needle abortion has previously relied on a combined case history of pine needle consumption and detection of isocupressic acid in a sample from the dam. Stable metabolites of isocupressic acid include agathic acid, dihydroagathic acid, and tetrahydroagathic acid, which have been shown to be present in the serum of mature animals for a few days following consumption of pine needles. As maternal serum is infrequently submitted for diagnosis of cattle abortions, a diagnostic assay capable of confirming isocupressic acid exposure in other matrices would be desirable. To the authors' knowledge, no previous investigations have indicated whether these stable metabolites of isocupressic acid cross the placenta or are detectable in fetal tissues. Therefore, the presence of agathic acid, dihydroagathic acid, and tetrahydroagathic acid was evaluated using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy on fetal thoracic fluid and stomach contents collected from 2 aborted bovine fetuses with a recent herd history of pine needle consumption by the dams and a subsequent abortion outbreak in the herd. Only tetrahydroagathic acid was detected in the fetal thoracic fluid and fetal stomach contents. The current study encourages diagnosticians to collect fetal thoracic fluids to permit the detection of tetrahydroagathic acid in cases of suspected pine needle abortion.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA (Snider, Janke, Ensley)U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory, Logan, UT (Gardner) dbsnider@alumni.iastate.edu.
authors.forename: Douglas B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Snider
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA (Snider, Janke, Ensley)U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory, Logan, UT (Gardner).
authors.forename: Dale R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA (Snider, Janke, Ensley)U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory, Logan, UT (Gardner).
authors.forename: Bruce H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Janke
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA (Snider, Janke, Ensley)U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory, Logan, UT (Gardner).
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ensley
mesh_terms: D000034:Abortion, Veterinary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002264:Carboxylic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D002417:Cattle; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005333:Fetus / Q000737:chemistry; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000662:veterinary; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents / Q000737:chemistry; D028223:Pinus / Q000506:poisoning*; D010939:Plant Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013764:Tetrahydronaphthalenes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002264:Carboxylic Acids; D004224:Diterpenes; D013764:Tetrahydronaphthalenes; C110793:isocupressic acid
keywords: Abortion; cattle; isocupressic acid; pine needle; tetrahydroagathic acid